The Journey of Raizu Kawashima
by Tempest.01
Summary: Raizu is a normal boy from Pallet Town, only wanting to lead a normal life with his pokemon. Upon reaching Viridian however, he finds himself cursed to die, and that everyone is out to kill him...
1. The Journal of Raizu Kawashima

_The Journal of Raizu Kawashima_

By: Tempest01

**1**

I was very excited. I was getting my first pokémon! Who wouldn't be? You travel country to country, engaging in thrilling battles against other pokémon trainers, in competitions, and do whatever you want.

I left my home with only my navy jacket on and some brand new black sneakers. I had a Black T-shirt on that has a picture of a lucario on it and black shorts. Being about 5' 2'' high and just skinny enough to be called so, I let my hair go down to my shoulder blades, which is a sapphire blue color. I have on no hat, but have folded in one of my jacket pockets a black cap with a white out-lined pokéball on it's front.

Outside my house I stare around at the pitiful amount of houses in my small hometown of Pallet. I smile anyway, knowing the memories of this god-forsaken place will be with me forever.

Going across the road, I come to professor Oak's lab, which also serves as his home (despite having a house nearby, he sleeps there anyway). The building is as big as a mansion, but lacks any real decorations. The outside wall is all white, and a few rooms can be seen on its sides, while the rest protrude back behind the front. I walk up the long walk and knock on the door.

I find Oak opening it instantly. "Oh, hello professor. Were you… waiting at the door?" I ask, a little surprised.

"Why, yes I was, Raizu Kawashima. I know you've been waiting for this day for ages, and I didn't want anything going amiss. I have Tracey learning to take care of the pokémon for when I may not be around."

I nod. "Okay, so is she…"

Oak shoves a pokéball into my chest. "Still here? Yes, I have your eevee still. She misses you and would be glad to be out of my care and into yours. She wouldn't go with anyone else you know."

I nod. "I missed her too, but if I visited, this right now wouldn't be such a big deal." I toss the pokéball onto the ground and it bounces back up to my hand, letting eevee out in a wild red flash. It chants its name and jumps into my arms, rubbing its head against my chest.

I stroke its head a few times. "Ahahaha, nice to see you too. So Oak, don't I get some equipment before I go? Like some pokéballs or potions…"

"Pokéballs yes, and a pokédex, but potions you'll have to get on your own time." He hands me them and looks at my jacket pockets, then over my shoulder. I give him and inquisitive look. "You don't have a backpack of anything?"

I shake my head quickly. "No need, I have plenty of money in my wallet, and pokéballs don't take up much space. So I'm leaving now."

"No good byes to your mother or friends?" Asks Oak.

"I told them to expect to not see me today. No one in this town gets up before eight in the morning."

"Well then, so long!" Oak waves me off and I hurry off his property with Eevee beside me.

We reach the outskirts of town and I look onward. The road itself is just dirt, but even that ends abruptly. There is nothing but trees and grassland from here to the next city, which is named Viridian. I sigh. "Hey Eevee, I'll be walking a while, I'm putting you back in." I aim the small circle that rests on the equator of the ball and return eevee to it in another red flash. _All right, I said I'd take a day to get to viridian, and so I shall._ I start the long trek to the next city, hoping for something exciting to happen.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

I have traveled for about 6 hours when I decide to stop and take a breather. I rest my back against a tree and take deep breaths. _The scenery out here is nice, but not nice enough to keep me staring._ I get up after a few seconds and continue onward. A large hill is in front of me, but I climb up it as if it were nothing. Near the top, I am about to place my hand when I hear a cry of a pokémon. "NIDORAN!" It yells, and it peaks over the edge. _That's a male nidoran, _I think, and it aims the horn on top of its head at me and dives. I wince and jump off, landing on a small padding of earth nearby. I take eevee's pokéball out and release it.

"Eevee, use a quick attack on that nidoran, it almost poisoned me!" I yell, and she spins around to face the nidoran. It landed on a part of the hill opposite of us, but it is still close enough to make the gap easily.

Eevee runs forward and jumps, and lands near the nidoran. Upon landing, she becomes a blur as she slams herself into nidoran's side. Nidoran is sent sprawling off the side, down the hill. It hits the bottom in a heap, and doesn't move. I laugh at how easily it was taken down and return eevee to its pokéball. I climb the rest of the hill and come to a small clearing with a berry patch.

"All right!" I say aloud, excited to get some food, and regretting having skipped breakfast. _That nidoran must've been protecting its food, _I think. _Meh, I'm not going to eat even half of it, let alone all of it._ I head over to a small, orange, tree-shaped bush and pluck a round, blue berry from it and let the combination of flavors in this miraculous berry fill me up. _Oran berries are so great._

I look around and beam when I see a Pecha berry bush. I pluck one from there and look at it. Small, pink, and a 3 large wrinkles at it's bottom. I take a bite and grin even more. _Oh, so sweet, it tastes good after not eating all day. _ I get the bag the keeps the pokéballs together from my pocket and place the balls on my waist, keeping their place there with small magnets that are attracted to the thin metal in the waist.

I take the bag and fill it up with some Pecha berries and Oran berries. I then let out Eevee and let her have her share of berries. There are other berries around, but they are kind of odd tasting, like the Tomato berry, known to keep your lips swollen for days, they are so spicy. But eevee only eats the dry, very mildly flavored chesto berry. I wonder if it means anything, but decide to not think about it now. After eevee has had her share, I pack some of the chesto berries too, just so she can enjoy them later. I carefully tuck the bag in my pocket and ask Eevee if she'll walk with me. She simply shakes her head (pokémon can understand English on the equivalent of a small kindergartner, when they are at adult age) and lies down. I shrug and return her to her pokéball and continue down the way I was heading for Viridian. Just as I'm about to head over the steep side, I stop myself and go back to there side and glance over. The nidoran is trying to scale the side of the cliff, but it's hurt to badly. I shake my head at my own kindness as I reach back for an Oran berry and toss it down gently in front of the nidoran. It lands in one piece and the nidoran eyes it curiously, but wolfs it down anyway. When it's done, it looks up at me and lowers it's head, as if to acknowledge that I am more powerful than it. I shrug and continue again toward Viridian City.


	3. Chapter 3

3

_I'm finally here!_ I yell inside my own head. It's sundown, and I just reached the nearest rest house to Viridian City, which is well within sight. I step inside the large wooden cottage-like building and see that the inside is made entirely of wooden logs also. To my immediate left I see a check-in counter, to spend the night (which is only about $10, as the place has low upkeep), and a small shop on the right for beginning trainers. I go inside, looking for some spare clothes and a backpack (I didn't like what I had at home). I look around at backpacks first. I see only two things that seem good for my taste. A black one that has a lucario on it, but in a different stance than my shirt, and a red-orange one with flames raising up from the bottom, and a ninetails on the back and on the front pocket.

I stand there thinking for five minutes when I notice that the ninetails one has a pocket for MP3 players, and choose it instantly. _I can't get one 'till Saffron, but I might as well get this, _I think. I then look around at shirts, and see a similar lucario shirt, but is a maroon color, with the lucario in an upright stance. I get that, and also a Deep Purple band shirt, which is of course a deep purple, with Smoke on the Water written on the back of it. I get two pairs of black shorts and some navy jeans, just in case weather decides to turn ugly on me. I take the items up to the cashier and purchase them, she not asking about my age. _I guess being twelve is common for most starting trainers,_ I think. I walk out and go to the front desk and ask for a room and if there are any videophones.

"Why yes," answers the woman behind the desk, who has spiky red hair, "We have some phones down the hall and to the right. To the left leads upstairs to the rooms."

"Thanks!" I say, and leave for the phones. I walk up to the machines, which are basically wall mounted phones with a screen, and allow for speaker phone. I dial up a number and wait for the ringer. It goes three times when I hear an answer, from a female voice.

"Hello, prof Rowan's lab. May I help you?"

I smile, and send the video mode request to the other's side. "Hello Dawn."

I hear the phone get fumbled a bit before she gets out a, "Is that you Raizu? Why isn't the caller ID saying who you are?!" I hear her press a button to confirm the Video mode, and I look at the screen. It bleeps on, and shows her face, with other random technology dotting the space behind her. "Hey, are you away from home?"

I nod. "I'm at a rest house in Viridian City. I started today. Early this morning in fact. Are you still at the lab?"

She nods. "I'm here for a month before I can set off toward Canalave City and meet you." She looks down at her watch. She has on a white knitted cap, with a red outlined pokéball on it's front. Her hair is a dull navy, and reaches down her head and goes into a ponytail from her neck to her middle back. She has a red scarf around her neck and a black vest. "It's about six P.M. here, so it must be…"

I hunch over and make an exaggerated exhausted face. "It's about 11 P.M. here… augh, I just got inside too."

She laughs. "Well, do great on your journey and see you in a month or so. We could go together, you know? I plan on taking some contests seriously."

It's my turn to laugh, and I do so. "Contests?"

"Well I'll battle too." She frowns at me. "See ya, and g'night I suppose."

"Yeah. Bye." I hang up and turn around and go upstairs to my room. It's small and quaint, with a queen-sized bed with a green blanket, a medium sized TV, and a window facing Viridian City. I close the curtains and go into the bathroom in the immediate left of the room. After I'm done, I let out Eevee rest on the bed quietly and I watch some TV. _Tomorrow, I head into town, for food, rest, and possibly a gym battle, if the leader is back._


	4. Chapter 4

4

(BTW, this is one of the longest chapters in the whole fic… make time  )

I wake up the next morning to see eevee sleeping quietly on the wooden floor next to the bed. I glance at the clock on the nightstand and see it is almost 10 in the morning. I get up, get dressed, and wake Eevee up quietly. I bring it back to its pokéball and go down to the lobby and grab a muffin for breakfast. I look around the lobby and only see a few other people around. I go back up to my room, back my things, and go back down stairs and check out of the room.

Outside, I take in the environment. The dirt path in front of me worn down by travelers, trees on all sides, and a wondrous view of the city in front of me. I go down the path and enter the city faster than I realize. There aren't many skyscrapers like the big Saffron city, but it is huge nonetheless. At least compared to my tiny little Pallet. Big buildings are everywhere, and people are already flooding the streets. I look around some more when I get pushed down. I fall on my head, feel a stinging pain, and see black almost instantly.

- - - - -

I wake up calmly and look around the small room. No windows, and a toilet. _Must be in a bathroom_, I think, and then realize what happened. _Did someone attack me? Did I land badly? My head doesn't even hurt… _I get up, and feel my legs buckle as I fall down. _So much for that, _I think, and look over what I have. I have my pokéball still, my shirt, pants, all the essentials. But no shoes or backpack. _Who steals shoes?_ I think, and see them near the door. _Okay, this is getting freaky_.

Sitting in a bathtub, I don't see anything inside the small room that tells me anything. The toilet is clean and smells fresh, the sink is shining white with the pale green tile, and the tub is white. Everything is completely clean, and no clothes are in sight.

I decide to take the pokéball and release my eevee. As the red light hits the bathroom floor, she appears, but lies unconscious on the floor. _Now I'm REALLY worried…_ I think and return her to my pokéball.

Just then, the door opens and someone walks inside the room.

"Oh, hello there. You're finally awake. I was worried." I don't look, but can tell the voice belongs to a woman. "Hey, do you think you've been kidnapped or something?"

"Yes." I say bluntly I try to get up, but my legs buckle again and I fall out of the tub. She catches me just as I am about to hit the floor and I take a look at her. She has beautiful eyes, green ones, and a dark green vest on, with a red shirt under it. Her hair is done in to two ponytails. She has on shorts and tennis shoes. Doesn't look like one to kidnap anyone.

"Well you're wrong, I saved you." She lays me down on the floor and hands me some medicine and a water bottle. "Your legs should work now, but I had to bind them."

"What are you talking about?!" I yell, confused. I take the medicine distastefully and swallow it, not drinking the water. It goes down smooth and I feel my legs after a few seconds. I don't try to walk though, in fear of them giving again. "So what happened?"

"You don't remember? That's odd, you hit your head when it all started, not at the end… Well, I'll tell you when you can walk. You're in a hotel room with me, and you were almost kidnapped by some other evil people. Well, anyway, you're fine and your eevee will be fine as soon as we visit a pokémon center."

I decide to play dumb, to see how she responds. "My eevee got hurt?!" I then realize that that is all I know.

She nods. "Not too bad, just unconscious. You're lucky I'm here. Oh no, where are my manners. My name is Sakura. Now can you walk yet?"

She told me her name, so I decide to trust her, whether or not it's true. "Raizu." I get up quickly and grab my shoes and slip them on. I walk out of the bathroom and take in the room. A small room, the windows are covered by curtains. A green carpet covers the floor and the bed is queen size with dark green sheets. A TV rests on a stand opposite of the bed, and is normal sized. I turn to her and ask "So what happened?"

"Well," she says. "First off, you are wanted now. I don't know what you did, but you got the entire city after you."

"What!?" I say, stunned. "I've only been here a few minutes. What happened?"

"A few minutes?" She laughs. "You were out all day. It's almost night."

"Okay, this is so weird."

"Tell me about it. In fact, I was assigned to catch you. I had a uniform at the time, but now I have on normal dress."

I grow alarmed. _She was supposed to capture me? This conversation is getting me no where. _"What happened!?" I yell.

"Hey, chill. I am a pokémon ranger and I was assigned to catch a trainer named 'Raizu Kawashima' and I received a description. Obviously, you are him."

I freeze. _I told her my name._

"When I saw you, you were wondering through the morning rush. People all going to their jobs, when some idiot bumped you and you fell on your head. I hadn't received word of you yet, so I went over and took you inside this hotel and layed you on a bench. You woke up in a few minutes. You woke up and we introduced each other."

_What!? _I think, _She already met me? And I woke up after a few minutes?!_

She can tell by the expression on my face what I'm thinking. "Yeah, I realized you didn't remember who I was, so I hadn't said my name yet. Anyway, you sat for a little while and I walked off and received a call to catch you. You were described as a villainous abuser of your pokémon. From our short talk, I didn't believe it, so I decided to walk with you. We left after the rush and talked as we went to the pokémon center. We came in and an officer attacked you with her growlithe. Fortunately, you evaded the flamethrower and called out your eevee. It took down that growlithe with, quite literally a take down, and it did so to many others as well. Unfortunately, it was hurt by this point, and officer jenny came out with her ninetails and took down your eevee with ease."

"Then I stepped in. I talked with her and defended you, seeing how much your eevee cared for you, and clearly listened to you even though they kept saying to it they can help, thinking it was abused. She just said she had orders and it occurred to me that the only higher orders than officer jenny is the mayor of viridian. She attacked you with her ninetails with a fire spin and it hit you dead on, leaving you unconscious, with no head injuries. I just got my pidgeot and flew off with you to the outside window of this hotel and jumped in, thankful no one has taken it yet. I rested you in the bathroom and changed to this casual dress so no one could recognize me as I plainly watched TV. And that was only this morning."

I sigh. "So why did I forget all that happened?"

She shrugs. "I don't know, but since I don't fall under direct orders from the police, I can do whatever I want free of punishment. I plan to sneak you out of the city tonight. Just stay here."

"Alright, but what should I do?"

"Well," She flips on the TV and I watch a news broadcast describe what transpired at the pokécenter. "You are most definitely wanted. The thing is, a simple abuser never gets this much trouble, just a few officers to watch you, not the entire city to hunt you down and attack you."

I nod, not really entirely concerned, unless the answer to my next question is bad: "What about other cities like pewter or vermilion?"

"I'll be sure to inform them that there is no reason not to trust you. Being the west-kanto pokémon ranger, I have more power over their police than another city."

I nod, relieved. "So when do we go?"

"After an hour, it'll be dark enough that you will be hard to make out. Lucky you like you're dark clothes."

I nod again. "Hey, where is my back pack?"

"That got left at the pokécenter, but I called nurse joy and told her to keep it there. She trusts me better than those police dogs." She takes a peak out the windows for any cops. "They're turning out the street lights now actually. We should go. Now. Before they search buildings."

I nod and dart for the door when I hear a voice next door, which is quite loud. "Hello, have you seen a pokémon ranger come by?"

I jump back and say to Sakura, "I think the police are already here."

She isn't even taken aback. "I was afraid of this… They are doing a search long before the city goes all lights out. Get away from the door." I do so and she takes a pokéball out and releases a seviper. "This isn't legal, but a seviper is incredibly useful." I just stand behind a wall and listen to what happens.

The person opens the door, and sounds male, I assume to be an officer. "Oh, Sakura, have you had your fun today?"

"Sure I have." She answers. "Seviper, Poison Tail!" She calls out. The man doesn't even yell. There is a dull thud and I see the seviper drag the man into the bathroom. "This'll confuse any dog who comes in here. Both you, a seviper, me and this policeman combined with a little poison scent here and there. But enough, we need to leave." And with that I dash out of the room and into the corridor. I look back and fourth and see no one.

She comes out and motions to the elevator and leads me down the hall a few doors and then to the left into a few elevators in their own little hall. She presses a button and one door opens instantly. We take it down and talk the few minutes we have to wait.

"Hehe, he took this up didn't he?" I say. "Few will be expecting us to go down the same one."

"You catch on quick little man." She says.

The door opens and we dash out, looking around to make sure no one is around. The man at the front desk is still there, but doesn't even notice our presence. She dashes up to him and says, "$200 says you don't tell anyone." She smacks the money down in front of him.

"Consider it done." He says, as he messes with a few computers and says, "Not even cameras knew you where here. Now hurry up. That's wasted money if they walk in here."

She nods and we both slowly approach the doors that lead outside. She opens it slowly and looks outside. She moves outside slowly and I follow her. I look up and down the street. There isn't a soul around, not even people who go on evening strolls.

"This is too weird." I say under my breath. "No one is out in the late evening?"

"It's our only shot. They would expect us to wait until it was way too dark to see anything." She answers. We dash silently down the street, eastward, and turn south in hopes of getting to the pokémon center before anyone notices us. At each street corner we take a peak around, using towering fences, buildings, or hedges that are on nearly every street. We saw only one policeman, but he didn't notice as we dashed past him.

We got to the entrance of the pokémon center and walked in. Nurse Joy acknowledges us by hugging me. "Thank the stars you are all right. Here, I need to see you're eevee." She swipes the pokéball from my waist and I just kind of stand there like a statue. "You are lucky to have such a wonderful and kind trainer, little eevee." Nurse Joy says to the pokéball.

I turn to Sakura and ask something. "This has been on my mind for a while. Are you saying my eevee got KO'd by a single fire attack? FIRE SPIN nonetheless?!"

She sighs. "I didn't want to tell you but I guess I will. You lost you're memory… because you saved you're eevee. After a few minutes of battling the ninetails, Officer Jenny did something unforgivable." She motions to follow her to some chairs and tells me to sit down. I do so, still confused.

"Why don't you just tell me? It can't be THAT bad." I say.

She shakes her head. "It is. I don't know how, but she got her ninetails to curse you're eevee by pulling one of her own Ninetails's tails. You got in the way of that attack."

I fall of my chair. Landing on the ground butt first, I just sit there for a few seconds taking in what I was just told. _Ninetails's curses can kill, give bad luck, and even ruin lives for future generations._

"I heard the curse she laid on you too. When a trainer commands a curse, it must be said out loud. You are cursed to die soon." She says darkly.

I continue to sit there and say one word as I think about how imminent my death might be. "Time?"

"I'm not sure. But you will feel random spasms of pain that will cripple you for minutes to hours until that time, and the closer the time, the more often they happen. I'm vowing to travel with you until we discover a way around this. A "cure" of some type. A ninetails' power is mysterious so we must find a mysterious source of power."

I hardly hear her, but nod anyway. _I haven't done anything. Or was it…_

Nurse Joy runs in and lays eevee on the ground and tosses me her pokéball. "Go on Raizu. Just know I told my sisters about you and they'll get you any help they can give." She also tosses me a small watch shaped object, which I barely catch as I toss it again and again into the air as it finally lands in the palm of my left hand. I look and realize I was given a pokétech, a watch that can to several functions, include give me time, be a calculator, remember recent caught pokémon, and etc.

I thank her and pick up my Eevee, who has a very worried look on her face. It chants its name a few times and starts to cry. "I bet you said you wished it would have been you and not me, eh?" I say, and she barely gets in a nod. I regretfully return her to her pokéball and walk toward the door. "My duty as a trainer is to get pokémon as strong as we can be, human and pokémon alike, and defeat all who oppose us in our quest, or those who are meant to be trial to us. LOOK AT ME!" I scream. "I've already failed and I've been gone from home for barely two days. I'm going to die and leave my eevee with no one..." I begin to sob. _All because of some ridiculous misunderstanding all those years ago… _I think.

"Hey, cheer up." Says Sakura, comforting me. "I know where we can go. Lavender Town has a tower where pokémon who have died are buried. Strange powers are at work there, and I'm sure something can save you."

"And if not!?" I yell. "Am I just going to die?! I'm not even a teenager yet. Haven't gotten a job, been laid, married, seen a parent enter retirement, NOTHING!! I haven't even met my girl friend in real life! ONLY OVER THE STINKING PHONE!" I walk out the door slowly and just leave, heading north to the exit of the city. _With eevee fine, I'll just take care of anyone in my way. Despite how I felt inside the pokémon center, I know I can find a cure. I don't want some ranger getting in my way. I will live, and become the greatest trainer ever to roam the earth._


	5. Chapter 5

5

5

I reach the outskirts of town without any problem. I have my backpack and no one has yet to notice or follow me, from what I can tell. Since no one was going to be near me for a while, I decided to release my eevee and continue walking._ I have to find some kind of remedy, but where am I going to look?…_

I hear a running sound and I flip around, eevee in a defensive stance already. It's Sakura. "Why are you going alone? You don't know what to do."

"Shut up!" I yell.

She is unrelenting. "You are going to die and you don't want help? What is wrong with you?"

"How could you possibly know what is going to help me?" I say, a little calmer, but still lace my voice with a hint of anger.

"For one, this is a mystical curse, or some kind of fake. How Officer Jenny could possibly do that to YOU when SHE pulled a tail is beyond me. Just trust me."

It then hits me that I should ask for some more detail on the scene. "Fine, let's walk to Pewter. We can get through viridian forest alone with Eevee." We begin to walk and I decide to start questioning about the event. "So, when I was cursed, what EXACTLY happened?" I ask, and she begins to explain.

--

I looked and saw Raizu just finish off a growlithe. I had to stay behind a bit to make it look less like we were together, but most weren't fooled.

"So Raizu, just got you're friend to come in and save you?" Yells a police officer at him. I wince at the accusation, knowing I maybe in as much trouble as him.

"You are just worthless." Raizu said. The officer returns it to the pokéball and another officer comes forward to unleash his growlithe, but eevee tackles him and grabs the pokéball in her mouth and tosses it away. "My eevee is very well trained. You think if I was an abuser she would still listen to me?"

"I think so." Says a voice from my right, and I glance and see Officer Jenny. She looks at me and I gulp. "So, Sakura, why are you not dealing with this one? I hear you are with him, is that true?" She says accusingly.

I run out to Raizu and get behind him, still facing Jenny. "I am. I won't stand it while you all try to attack an innocent boy. He clearly loves his eevee and would give up everything for her."

"Sakura…" Raizu says under his breath, and calls eevee to his side and turns to face Officer Jenny.

"Heh, that eevee is obviously doing this out of fear. Why else would it still be standing this long if it is just his newest pokémon?" Says the Jenny smugly. "I'll handle this with ninetails." She takes a pokéball out and releases the ninetails. "All right, do a Fire Spin ninetails." She commands, and the attack moves too fast for Raizu's eevee to evade. It hits dead on, and engulfs the eevee.

"NO!" Yells Raizu, and he jumps to the pillar of flame and tries to reach inside, only to get burned a little and draw back his hand. I try to think of something that might help him but fail to come up with anything. "You are some kinds of police officer aren't you?!" Yells Raizu.

"I'm doing my job. Now…" Officer Jenny grabs one of her own ninetails' tails and yells "CURSE IT TO DIE!" The Fire stops and the ninetails stops for a moment. A weird, black sack of unshaped energy appears above ninetails. Raizu looks at his eevee then at the black thing. The black thing moved toward eevee at a startling speed and is about to hit his eevee when Raizu jumps in the way and covers eevee completely, hugging her. The black thing smacks his back and he flinches. It slowly pours itself into him through his back while leaving no physical wound. He hardly has time to return the eevee, too weak to do anything, to it's pokéball.

I release my pidgeot and yell at Jenny. "Are you happy!? You were trying to save his pokémon and you wanted to KILL IT!? ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!? You are lucky you are wrong about Raizu or that eevee would be dead." I grab Raizu and bring each other onto pidgeot's back and we fly out of there. I look back as the police squad runs after us and notice Jenny is just standing there, unmoving, looking at the ground.

--

"And then," Continues Sakura, both of us now into the forest. "We got to the hotel room unspotted somehow and I waited a few hours. Several hours actually. Then you woke up and you know."

I shudder. "That sounds like a lot more power than they need just for someone who is mean to their pokémon…"

She shrugs. "I hope there was a possible reason that could be explained, but I'm guessing you are clueless."

I think for a second and nod. "I have no idea what would make them want to get rid of me."


	6. Chapter 6

6

As the caterpie goes flying into the air, eevee jumps at it with a quick attack and it goes flying into the bug catcher's stomach. He falls over and I give him a superior look. "You are worthless. Why are you even a trainer?" I ask, walking over and looking down on him.

He backs up slowly and bumps into a tree. "I want to show everyone the power of bug pokémon!" He shouts.

I shoo him away with my hand. "Get away from here and hurry to a pokécenter. I don't want you weakening the air around me." The bug catcher returns the caterpie to its pokéball and runs off toward Pewter City.

Standing behind me, Sakura cocks an eyebrow at me. "You are so kind, young master." She says, as if I were a teacher of hers.

I give a sarcastic laugh. We both continue down the path, which is oddly enough covered with grass with a hedge at both sides. A seemingly endless plane of trees are on each side of the path as it curves and twists in seemingly every direction. Sakura claims to know the way, but I can swear we pass several of the same trees several times.

We are just turning a corner where I notice a kakuna is sleeping on the tree's side and I start to get annoyed. _We've passed this same kakuna at least 3 times_, I think. I walk up and tap Sakura's back and she asks what is the matter.

"I believe we've passed that same kakuna…" I point at it behind me. "… Several times already. It has an odd blue stripe near its bottom."

She nods. "Last time I went through here there were a lot less kakuna. I'm seeing them in the trees and we HAVE TO avoid waking them up. I'm trying to find a safe path and it's hard so bear with me."

I decide to take her word for it, and after thirty more minutes we stop seeing anything that resembles a pokémon. We turn a corner and finally come upon a rest house that signals the end of this stupid forest. I run in front of Sakura up to the door of the tan-bricked building and am about to open it when it gets slammed open into my face by someone on the other side. I fall flat on the ground and the person jumps over me and into Sakura.

I get up and yell, "Hey, watch where you are going! You could have broken my nose!" I turn around and look at the person who knocked me down. It is a girl. She is about 5' 11'', which is quite tall. Her hair is short and done up into two buns, each one black and the rest of her hair is white. She looks to be about a few years older than me, about 14 or 15. She has a sky blue trench coat, tan short shorts and a pink sleeveless shirt with a picture of some bear like animal with a white face and black ears and nose, almost like her hair. Her shoes are black flip-flops. I can't tell if she has a pokéball on her waist because the trench coat covers too much of it.

She looks down at me and offers her hand and apologizes. "OHMYGOSH did I knock you down? I thought that door was hard to open. I am REALLY sorry." She continues rambling about how sorry she is but I'm too dazed, as it is to listen and just get up without her help. I look at Sakura and she shrugs. "… And I didn't know anyone would be in the forest since the police are looking for him…"

I hear that much and say, "Wait, who is looking for 'him?'"

She perks up and says, "OH, there was this mess at Viridian city and I heard on the news this guy named 'Raizu Kawashima' was some bad guy and he got away from Jenny but she injured him and he won't get very far so they put up watches around the forest last night I guess to make sure he doesn't get past them and…" She takes in a deep breath and continues, "… so I figured everyone would be freaked out and no one would go in the forest because they didn't say what Raizu looked like only that he had this kick ass eevee that took down like 10 growlithes and stuff. So… Why are you here?" She asks.

I give her an inquisitive look and say. "Can't a guy just travel through?"

She shakes her head. "NO because I am one of these watch people haha fooled you didn't I? Well actually I may not have because if you are some random traveler then it won't make a difference… ARE you Raizu Kawashima?"

Her talking speed is so fast it's hard to keep up. I like her perkiness though. "Well, yes, but you can't be a patrol. You have on a trench coat. How inefficient is that to catch a criminal running away?"

"HAH I knew you were him. I lied because I knew you were him, why? Because your face IS all over the news but they have a voice clip by..." She turns around and looks at Sakura. "… HER that you are a villainous abuser of your pokémon!"

Sakura runs up and pushes her off. "What kind of bull is that?!"

The girl just takes a small tape recorder from seemingly out of nowhere from her trench coat and presses play. "He is good, but to some pokémon he obviously hates. From how he beat up on them…"

Sakura smacks her face with her palm. "That was from my call to Joy about how you beat up the GROWLITHES. How can they dissemble THAT MUCH!?"

I sigh. "Augh, so what do you want, em… what is your name? I know you nearly knocked me out and for some reason have a 2 second recording of Sakura's voice…"

"Well, I am not a part of the police, no. BUT I do think it was a little fishy that you were hunted down by like 10 other policemen and JENNY tried to hurt you directly. So, I, Serena, would like to accompany you and figure out if you are nice to your pokémon or not."

I look at Sakura and she nods. I turn back to Serena and ask a single question: "What will you do if you don't come with us? We can just evade the law again. I'm betting you have a different reason for wanting to come with us."

She shakes her head. "I want to know if you are nice or naughty, that's simple enough. Now come on, they aren't looking for you past the forest." She starts to walk off but I grab her arm.

"Fine, you can travel with us. Just tell us what pokémon you have." I say, releasing my eevee. She lands on the ground and looks around curiously, and lands her eyes on Serena, tilting her head.

Serena laughs and kneels down and pats my eevee's head. She takes a pokéball from, again, seemingly out of nowhere from her trench coat and releases the pokémon inside of it. A male eevee lands on the ground next to mine. They both look at each other and say their names at the same time and start running around in circles.

I laugh too. "Another eevee. So quaint."

"All right Raizu. I'm traveling with you and you can't change my mind." Says Serena, in a firm tone of voice.

I nod and roll my eyes. "I wouldn't dream of it."

-----

Now it is late in the evening. We are all in our sleeping bags and the eevees are next to their respective trainers, mine next to me and Serena's next to her. I'm taking off my pokétech when I receive a call from it. I look at it and flip open the back that is used as an earpiece and say, "Hello?"

A woman's voice answers on the other line. "Ah, hello Raizu…" The woman coughs horrifically a few times and continues. "I'm glad I can call you."

"Who are you? And how do you know this number? _I_ don't know this number."

"I am… the Jenny that cursed you." She coughs again a few times as if on cue by my brain. _That officer who cursed me… I may die and I have no idea when._ "I need to say something. Before you get angry with me, I wasn't told you were just a pokémon abuser. What I was told was far worse. That made me go to extreme lengths and now you may die a lot sooner than was intended by god."

I decide not to get mad and take her word for it. "Then why? Why would you want to hurt my eevee?…"

"I wasn't myself. I… don't wish to say what happened, but I can do one thing."

"What?"

She coughs a few times, sounding even worse still. "The curse can be taken off of you. You must go toward Lavender Town… and meet a certain someone who is dealing with their own problem. I can't guarantee he will be there, but you must try to meet him. Just ask for one of the cursed family… and anyone from there will help you. Or evade you entirely."

Despite being on the phone, I nod. "Okay, but what were you told about me?… Why would you have to lie about it? If you just said what the problem was I'm sure I can resolve it."

"No Raizu you can't, because it has nothing to do with you. But you are involved nonetheless and you… had to be removed." She coughs for what seems like minutes and I hear an odd sound, like spilling water, when I realize it isn't water.

"JENNY!" I yell, and I hear the other two girls in my group get up instantly. "What is the matter? Are you dying!? Jenny!? Hello?!"

"I'm… when I cursed you, I had to myself as well. A ninetails can do that to two people, but the person who actually touched the tail is the one who takes most of it. I sent my ninetails after you and I hope you meet her. She is kind… good bye…" I hear the phone hit the ground, and a loud crack. Not the kind of crack you would hear when inside a house on a carpet floor. The kind of hard ground crack, and the phone goes dead, but I continue to yell into it anyway.

I turn it off and punch a nearby tree. _It is exactly as I thought. It was him…_

Someone taps my back and I look at the two girls behind me. "What is it?! You were yelling! Something about Jenny? Did something happen?" Spews out Sakura, panicking and obviously worried.

I just say one thing. "We must hurry to Lavender Town."


	7. Chapter 7

7

The rest of that night I hardly sleep. All I can think about is what happened that night. _Jenny may have died on an order she didn't believe in, when there were other options… Why?! _I scream inside my head. I decide to try and push it out of my head, and I turn a bit in my sleeping bag. I turn around, and I find eevee licking my forehead. She gives me reassuring eyes, and I pet her. "Thanks." I say, and fall into a deep sleep.

-----

My eyes open slowly. I rub the crust from them and get up to a sitting position and look around. My eevee is sleeping soundly on the ground, but I look a little past her and see a Ninetails.

I stay in the sleeping bag and say, "You are from Jenny, aren't you?"

_I am. She sent me here so I may travel with you._

"Whoa, you can talk?…"

_Did you see my mouth move? Telepathy._

"Oh…" I nod. "Okay, so, do you like have a pokéball or something?"

_You don't seem as mature as you were back in viridian…_

"Well, I just woke up, kinda tired still…" I rub my eyes again. "You didn't answer my last question." She groans as she flicks her head at me and a pokéball loosely attached to a tentative collar flies off toward me. I catch it and give it a look, as it has a little red fire symbol at the top.

I ask her. "Well, if you can talk, what do you suppose I should call you?"

_Abby._

I raise an eyebrow. "An awfully human name, isn't it?"

_Just shut up and put me in the pokéball, I'm kind of tired and I don't feel like walking today._ She finishes and I shrug, returning her to the pokéball in a red flash. I get up, and walk into the trees with my backpack to get dressed and go for a little walk. I don't bother to wake up my eevee, seeing as she was up as late as me and I get up fairly early. I walk in to a small patch of trees, undress, and get some clothes out of my backpack.

A voice, giggling, comes from the trees. "You should look around more before getting ready in the morning."

I instantly blush and cover myself with the shirt I just took off. "Who is there, and why are you peaking?"

"Oh cool your jets, Mr. Naked." Serena comes out from behind a tree with her eevee having it's breakfast on a rattata. "Why are you up so early? I would have thought you were so distraught from last night."

"Did you just say?…" I start, but she interrupts me.

"Now now, I can be smart when I feel like it, and early morning is 'it' for me normally. So… How is this morning going for you?"

I feel a wincing pain in my leg, and assume it is a charlie horse cramp. "Eh, I'm standing naked in front of a girl I hardly know?"

She chuckles. "Oh come on, it's not that big a deal. We aren't in public…" She walks forward to take away the shirt, when I feel a shocking pain go up my leg, much worse than any cramp. I fall over and scream in agony, the pain making every nerve from my left foot all the way up to my left arm yell "You are gonna die here." I curl up into a ball on the ground, and I find a small piece of rope pressed into my mouth from Serena. As I tear up from the pain I nod, and try to say thanks through the rope, but I find myself biting it incredibly hard. The pain lasts for a while, and I find myself unable to pass out, which is what I want to happen, to end this pain. Still naked and barely able to see, I try to look at my surroundings. A few pokémon have gathered about, but stay in trees or bushes, farther away. Serena left, I'm guessing to wake Sakura.

Finally, after a few minutes, which seem to last hours, a jolt of pain runs through my whole body and I lose consciousness.

-----

I wake up, on my sleeping bag and fully clothed, back at the campsite. I turn my head slowly to see Sakura a few feet to my left, petting my eevee, who is looking very worried and teary. I turn my head the other direction, but don't see Serena anywhere. I try to get up, but collapse. I here eevee yell and rush over to me, Sakura following slowly behind. I look at them and smile weakly. "Hey… how long have I been out?"

"A couple hours." Says Sakura. "Your scream woke us all up. Though the last thing I expected was to find you naked." I freeze, and then feel that I am wearing clothes again. Sakura laughs. "We wouldn't leave you naked to sleep. What if someone came by? Now you wait here, Serena is getting you some medicine. Even if it's a curse, we can get you up on your feet at least."

I do my best to nod, but can't really. I sit there with eevee at my side and I decide it is a good time to try and sleep.

-----

I wake up in an unfamiliar place. Not thinking of what happened that day, I get up from the sleeping bag, fully clothed in my darker shirt and shorts, with no shoes though. The area is dark, kind of smoky almost. I don't see solid ground, but walk forward anyway. I land on smooth, cold floor, like tile. Everything around me is swirling, and purple tinted. I continue to walk forward, surrounded by this dark, misty purple substance, until a light appears before me. It is door shaped, tall and a rectangle. I reach forward as if to open a door, and clutch a doorknob, despite there being nothing there. I swing open the door, and see a distant figure, a man. He is quite tall, and wearing a white training kimono, and a sword sheathed at his side. He takes it out, and points it at me, blade down. He mutters one word, and I at such a great distance somehow hear it. "Hurry."


	8. Chapter 8

8

I awake with a start, the man in my dream still fresh in my memory. _Having a dream like that after all this has to mean something… _I think, but just get up and alert the girl to my consciousness. We pack up our things and head straight into town, my pain completely gone and feeling like a new man. I look at my pokétech and switch to the analogue watch, preferring an old style of watch to numbers. Inside the town, there are fewer buildings than viridian, and fewer tall ones at that also. We go around town, looking for a good restaurant to eat in when I notice the town's gym. I ignore it, thinking the last thing I want right now is for my eevee to get weakened or get myself caught up in getting a badge.

While walking, we tend to keep quiet, Serena and I not bothering to mention what happened at the forest. _I know I felt uncomfortable,_ I think to myself,_ but if she had gone through with it, I don't think I would have minded… _I beam at my own thoughts. I decide to break this awful silence while walking around town aimlessly by asking Serena a question, who is past Sakura on my right side.

"Serena, what is that on your shirt?" I ask, sincerely wondering what it was.

"Oh this old thing? This is a panda." She answers bluntly.

It doesn't help me to understand. "A… panda? Is that a name for a pokémon or what?"

"It is a species of pokémon. Have you seen a spinda before?"

I nod.

"Well, it's similar to that, but more of a bear. A lot bigger and a LOT cuter!" She starts giggling again. I look at her oddly, and Sakura completely ignores her, looking at the town map, looking for a good restaurant.

"A bear? Like ursaring or something?"

She nods. "Yeah, but not as tall. It lives on tropical islands and places like that. OH MY GOSH I think they are just so cute! They haven't really been proven to exist, but many have been sighted, and described like what is on my shirt…"

"And your hair?" I ask, meaning to interrupt.

"Yes," she says, laughing a little, "Like my hair. The ears and limbs are all black and most of their body is white. Oh, I love them so much." She huddles up, as if ready to explode with excitement. "I want to be the first one to prove they exist!"

I give her a blank look. "So why are you traveling with us? We won't get you far. And you saw what was wrong with me. What if you get involved?"

She smiles at me. "My eevee can still help out you know. I want to see if I can find some clues, not just wander aimlessly. Besides," She looks at me with a cute face, "I like company."

I start to blush when Sakura says, completely oblivious to our entire conversation, "Hey, I think I found a good place. It has seafood and everything."

My ears perk up. _Finally, real food! Enough of these berries or spit roasted rattata, which actually was kind of good…_ "Is there beef?"

"The chef calls himself a 'Jack of all trades' when it comes to cooking, according to the short, 3 sentence description. Yep, good miltank from Johto too."

Serena nods and says with excitement, "I LOVE SEAFOOD! Especially Magikarp!"

Sakura agrees. "Yep. Now… it's called… oh lord…"

I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's named… the 'Pewter Plate.'" She answers dryly.

Serena laughs. "WOW that name sucks."

"I'm not complaining." I say. "Good food eh? Let's hurry!" With that, we all run down the street and turn a left, reaching the restaurant.

-----

I grab an after dinner mint and toss it, wrapper and all into my mouth, popping out the mint and spitting out the wrapper from my mouth. My plate is barren, cheeseburger and all, already eaten. Sakura is chatting with a waiter, and Serena has a few more bites of her magikarp to eat.

The restaurant is amazing. The floor is a deep maroon carpet, looking completely spotless and stainless, an amazing feat for a restaurant. The tables are all made of maple wood, and are covered in a nice, dark red table clothes. Most plates are round and basically white, but the napkins are an odd dark blue, which somehow mingles with the table clothes to almost look like a royal dining table. Tall candles sit in the middle of each table, and the silverware almost looks truly silver. The restaurant is completely packed as well. Each table is full of at least 3 people, and we had to wait almost 20 minutes for an open table. When we got our menus, Serena and I were floored by the prices, but Sakura ensured that with her high pay check, being a ranger and all, she could easily cover it. We both nodded and with great enthusiasm, described what we wanted for dinner.

The food was great. I had ordered a cheeseburger, and the other two ordered a magikarp, but I forget how they wanted it. Now it is after dinner, and we are about ready to receive the check, when a pokéball pops off my waist and ninetails appears before us on the side of the table.

Sakura is taken aback. "When did you get a ninetails?!"

Abby gives her a look._ This pathetic one saved you, no?_

"Can it Abby!" I say. I turn to Sakura. "This is that ninetails that Jenny sent for me, the one that cursed me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys about it."

Sakura just blinks, and asks, "Well, what does she want then? And I heard what you said about me!" She blurts out at the end at Abby.

_I'm here to warn you. For all I know, you might not have let me out until tomorrow. _Says Abby, via telepathy still._ You must know, from that pain this morning, what you are in for._

I nod.

_It'll get worse. But that is the last thing you wanted to hear. So I'm going to save you some trouble. Tomorrow, go back to our last campsite, and I'll show you a short cut to Lavender Town._

I give her a look. "Why am I going to trust you? YOU CURSED ME!" I scream. The people in the restaurant all turn to me, but I don't care.

_Huh, you sure are a smart one. Raizu Kawashima, I am a pokémon. You are a human. Humans have a general greater intelligence than pokémon, so we listen. You know how to use our abilities to advantageous means so great, we could never hope to achieve them ourselves. To say that I, commanded by Officer Jenny, am the one to blame for your curse, is selfish and ignorant. I am here because she felt deep regret…_

I stop her. "Felt?"

_You were on the phone when it happened. I was beside her in fact, as I had not left yet. The curse affects either one or two people, as choice by the ninetails when her tails' are pulled. It can be dealt equally to two people, if they are both touching the ninetails, or each other when one grabs a tail, but for a distance, the one grabbing the tail gets the full brunt of the curse, and the person standing away is affected, but only a little by comparison. She felt deep regret about her actions, letting her own hate that has built up for years for pokémon abusers envelope her. I came in good spirits, hoping I can help my former master right one wrong she has done upon the world._

Serena was now wide eyed with attention, and Sakura was as well. _I was a wrong, just some little tool for Jenny, and she hated that so much…_

"Alright." I say. "I'll trust you, for now."

Abby nods. _Then hurry. We must leave as soon as possible. We don't want you… getting hit by that curse when we are in the cave._

I nod, and decide that now is a good time to do something I have been putting off ever since I left. We pay quickly, and leave, my eevee and Abby following by our sides. We all pretty much run down to the campsite, and I summarize what has happened to me to Serena, and Sakura about the phone.

When we are all going to sleep, I pull out a notebook from my backpack. _I suppose now is as good a time to start a journal,_ I think. _If I don't live through this, I'm sure someone can learn a bit about me from this._ And with those thoughts, I begin writing all the events that have happened to me from the morning I woke up, 'till the whole adventure was over.


	9. Chapter 9

9

"HOW did we miss this?!" I yell.

"Heck if I know…" Answers Sakura. "The entrance is facing a MOUNTAIN MAYBE?!"

_I'm surprised you people didn't know about this place. Diglett cave is very useful._ States Abby. Sakura gives her a look, and just dashes inside.

We woke up a few hours ago and headed to the rest house that marks the end of viridian forest, but we didn't notice a large rock formation that was to it's immediate right, facing away from the house. I remember that when we last went by here, there was a large tree here, but now it is totally gone. It looks as if the life was sucked out of it or something, being the size of a sapling. We calmly went by it, and Abby, my new ninetails, led us to the other side of an odd rock formation.

_This leads us too Vermilion City in one or two days, at walking speed. _States Abby. _I recommend you all keep your pokémon out at the ready, diglett and dugtrio are sometimes very rude and unwelcoming of guests. _She explains. We all nod, and follow her into the dark cavern that is Diglett Cave.

-----

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. There are few stalagmites or stalactites anywhere, ground is generally smooth, albeit being loose dirt. The path is illuminated by lights on the ceiling, which were probably put up when they discovered this cavern, to help visitors travel through.

Along the way, we do actually get attacked by a few diglett, but it is no big deal. My eevee quickly dispatches them, and even eats one. Abby simply requests being returned to the ball again, and I oblige. We have been walking through this cave for an hour when a dugtrio comes out.

"Hey, I think Serena should take this one." I say. I turn to her. "I have hardly seen your eevee, except when playing or eating."

She nods and releases her eevee from her pokéball. "Okay then…"

The dugtrio stays still, but eventually charges forward, turning its side to Serena's eevee. Her eevee dodges it and Serena yells, "Nice! Now do an Iron Tail!"

Sure enough, the eevee's tails starts to shine, and brings the hard-as-iron tail straight down on the dugtrio. It falls back a little but, but doesn't appear too hurt. It goes underground and leaves a small hole where it was.

"It's using dig eevee, now you do too!" She calls out, and her eevee makes a little hop, going beneath the surface in an instant.

I turn to Sakura and ask a question. "Is dig REALLY digging? They do it so fast…"

She laughs a bit. "Not really, except for a pokémon in the diglett or onix family. They are strong enough. But other pokémon actually emit a kind of weird energy that parts the ground where they move their paws. So if they actually dug with a dig attack, they could go far enough, fast enough, that we wouldn't need oil drills anymore. But there are security hazards, so we use drills anyway."

I nod, and look at the eevee that went through hole, and notice something odd. It is emitting an odd light… and flashes. I point to it and yell, "Serena, something is happening to your eevee!"

She looks and freezes. She screams, "Eevee, are you okay? Hello?!" But there is no answer. She runs up to the hole and looks in. I get my eevee ready and run up to her, but then Serena gets tackled by some kind of dog pokémon.

It is soil colored, a dark brown. It's tail is long and fluffy with a light tan stripe running down the middle, and has a locke of hair that cover its eyes. It has odd little blade-like protrusions on the back of its front legs. I look at it and it is licking Serena's face.

She laughs and looks at it. "Hey…are you my eevee?"

It chants out it's name, and we are all taken aback. "Terreon!" It nods its head and gets off of her.

I get out my pokédex and look at it. "There is NOTHING here about that pokémon at all!"

Sakura smiles. "Well Serena, congratulations! You found yet ANOTHER evolution for eevee. Add that to the 7 we already have. I suppose it is ground type then?"

This time, terreon actually nods and melts like soil into the ground, and appears on my left side. I pet it and it wags its tail a bit. "This is awesome!" I say. "I may be friends with someone who discovered an entire NEW pokémon!"

Serena beams and hugs her new Terreon, a ground type evolution for eevee. She thinks for a bit. "Say… what happened to the dugtrio?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself with." Says a voice from farther in the cave, but I don't see anything. Then an odd kind of dog pokémon flies into my stomach. I'm sent almost twenty feet back and into the wall. I crumble to the ground, but lift my head to see Serena and Sakura coming at me, Sakura releasing her Roserade, that I have not yet even seen. Serena looks at me, and presses my chest. I cringe, but don't feel anything incredibly painful.

"I think he's fine." Says Serena. "But you took quite a hit."

"I haven't seen a pokémon like this before…" Says Sakura, looking dumbfounded and completely ignoring me.

I look past her at the pokémon that tackled me, and almost cringe. It is a dog like pokémon, and looks like the embodiment of evil itself. Its outline looks wavy almost, as if not part of this world entirely. It has long, blood red colored lightening bolt shaped fur patterns over its black fur going down it's legs and down it's back out to its tail, which is puffy. It has blood red eyes, and is as big as terreon. It gives a menacing look at me, and I see a boy approach from behind.

_That is the thief from Johto I heard about on the news a couple months ago._ I think. He has long, flowing red hair. Pale skin and somewhat tall, and wearing a black vest with black jeans. He walks up behind his pokémon and pets it. It looks at him affectionately, and turns back to me. Sakura and Serena get in its way and their pokémon in front of them, and I lose sight of anything, but hear just fine.

"Heh, so much for being on guard. And my little friend here says hi." Says the boy with a pokémon.

"What is that thing?" Asks Sakura firmly.

"It is my friend, that I happened to steal from Oak. Little spriteon is a new eevee evolution, just like yours right there!" I assume he points at terreon.

"What business do you have with us?" Asks Serena, trying to sound serious. "And why did you attack our friend?!"

"Simple really. I was ordered by Viridian city to come and kill him."

I freeze, and feel a cramp in my chest, but my thoughts turn to it NOT being a cramp and something worse…

"His curse hasn't been confirmed to have even done anything, and viridian wants him dead."

"WHY!?" Asks Sakura, yelling now.

"Heck if I know, I might as well be a hired gun… But I will have his head." The two girls gasp as this mans spriteon flies through them and tackles me into the wall again. The wind is knocked out of me, and I stay limb, up against the wall.

Serena yells and commands terreon to use a bite attack. It lands right on spriteon's thigh, and it reels back. "Now use a stone edge!" commands Serena, and sure enough, the blades on terreon's front legs glow and they smack the spriteon on the side of the head. It goes reeling back, and am let down. Serena catches me on her back, and I feel pain shooting off through my legs again, worse.

The assassin curses and returns the spriteon to its pokéball and sends out an arcanine. Before he can even command it to do anything, Sakura yells out "Roserade, use a toxic on that arcanine!"

Roserade nods and jumps up, and spins itself. It stops spinning in midair and fires a huge amount of a purple liquid on to arcanine. He winces, and falls over one of its own paws.

The assassin returns it and runs down the way of the cave he came from. "One day Raizu. I'll get you. Just you remember my name, Deren." He yells running. I hardly hear it, as I fall to the ground again and scream in pain. I don't hear much after that, and I lose all vision in the dim lit cavern, and I slip into unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter 10

10

I wake up hardly able to see. The curse is still blurring my vision, but I can get up well enough. I do so and someone rushes over to me. I recognize Serena's trench coat as it hits my legs when she stops moving by my side.

"Hey, you are up. Feeling better?" She asks, concerned.

I nod. "Yeah…" I try to stand up, but just fall back down on my butt. I curse myself and just sit there, waiting to get my vision back. Sakura runs over and offers me a cup full of herbal medicine, and I drink it. I nearly spit it out it is so disgusting, but taste is hardly something I should care about when I'm slowly dying. A few minutes after drinking it, I can fully move around, so we all pack up and head down the cave again. I notice Serena's coat is somewhat dirty, and Sakura is still wearing her usual vest.

"Hey Sakura," I say to her, and she turns to me. "Why do you wear the same thing every day?"

"The same reason you wear the same outfit every other day; because I packed lightly." She answered with a tone that seemed to turn Raizu away. He shuts up and they continue to walk for a while, bumping into nothing but the still air in front of them as they go through the dimly lit cavern. No diglett or dugtrio attack, mostly because Serena kept her terreon out with us as we walked. As we walked, I thought about the last few days quite a bit. _An assassin? Is what he did really that big a deal that they have to send someone out to kill me?… I need more pokémon, and more powerful ones._ I end my thoughts on getting more pokémon, but am not sure of how to acquire such in Kanto. _Eevee isn't going to evolve anytime soon… and I do suppose that Abby will fight if I want her too… but I feel vulnerable still. I need one more… something special._

-----

We journey to the end of the cave is rather uneventful, but left all of us hungry. Sakura agreed to go stock up on supplies while Serena and I left to find the quickest way to Lavender Town.

We are both sitting on a bench and looking at the map when I find the easiest way. "Duh! We just go east past the cave, and then head north. The docks head straight to Lavender! No wild pokémon to worry about even."

She nods. "I guess, but that field will take about a day to get through… is that okay?"

"We don't have any other choice." I say. We get up and walk away when someone comes from behind me and tugs my shirt.

I turn around and give him "The Look" and say, "What is the big idea?!" and I find what the big deal is.

The man is a bloody mess. Literally and figuratively. He has raggedy clothes on, and hardly any shorts. His hair is messy, and face is dirty and covered in blood. He has no shoes, and his thigh appears to be bleeding a lot.

Serena gets down and look at the cut right away. "Oh no, we have to get him to a hospital. A huge artery down here was cut, and if we don't move fast…"

He pushes her away. "No chance of that. I am here just for him." He points at me. _Great, more about me?… _I think, when he hands me a pokéball.

I look at it and ask, "Uh, man, this isn't the best way to spend your last moments alive."

"Oh, but it is. This pokémon was sent from your father." He stumbles a bit, and falls to his knees, clenching his thigh in pain.

_My father? I haven't seen or spoken to him since I was young… and he left…_ I push the thoughts out of my head. "I don't care what is wrong with you. I'm not taking this and we are getting you to a hospital." I sounded convincing enough, but he was dead. Serena was sobbing over him, and a few people ran off to the hospital. I just stand there stunned at seeing a dying man that, for no obvious reason, just gave me a pokéball and died. _My father is long gone, why would he just try to contact me like that…_

"Now what do we do?" Says Sakura, through tears. "Did your dad have anything to do with this!?" She yells, angry.

I step back and answer plainly. "I hardly know my dad."

"Liar!" She yells. "I bet your dad did something and now your are dying for him! What happened Raizu?!"

"NOTHING HAPPENED!" I yell, wondering how I lost my composure over something I wish I forgot. Well, that answers itself. "MY DAD LEFT MY MOTHER YEARS AGO! I COULD CARE LESS WHAT HE DID, AND I CERTAINLY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM!"

I see her expression change through her tear streaked face from one of rage to one of sorrow and pity. She jumps up to me and hugs me and whispers in my ear. "Okay, but just tell me when you want to get some closure. I know something happened, and I will help you through it."

I nod, and a few tears flow down from my eyes. "It isn't a problem really…" I push her back. "Okay, lets wait here for the ambulance. We may get arrested, but we don't have any weapons on us."

-----

And sure enough, we were. The police had heard of my presence in Viridian, but Sakura got us out. Her reputation for being fair and just was, well, understated by herself even. She literally walked in, said I didn't do anything, and we left. It was like some otherworldly experience.

She got the supplies, a few days rations of food, and we started the trek to Lavender. The field between the docks and Vermilion is enormous, but press on nonetheless. The roads make our trip a little easier, and we had minimal interference by wild pokémon. When we set up camp, I'm surprised to see that my curse didn't do anything to me that night. At around 8 or so, I decided to see what was in the pokéball the stranger handed me earlier. _Could my father really have sent me something that important that he send an envoy who got attacked?… _I pushed those thoughts out of my head and got up, telling the girls I had to take a whiz. I head north to a small clearing and toss the pokéball onto the ground and release it.

The pokémon comes out with the familiar red flash and appears on the ground, kneeling. The pokémon I have come to love ever since I first saw it stands right in front of me.

_Are you my new master?_

I answer through words, being used enough to telepathy. "I suppose. Do you know why you are here?"

_I probably know more than you. I know why you are dying, and why you are pursued by the state that is Viridian City._

"Then, dear friend, explain. While I'm still reeling from the fact that I have a Lucario with me now."


	11. Chapter 11

11

"Wait." I say, before this Lucario starts to talk. "What should I call you?"

_Markus is fine. Your father called me that._

"You worked for my father?" I say, raising an eyebrow.

_He was indeed my master. And just like how you referred to me as an item a few seconds ago, he treated me as such._

"HEY!" I yell. "Don't ever think that. We will… have a mutual trust between each other. Don't call me master. Call me friend. Never mind actually, just call me by my name-"

_Raizu?_

"Yes… what do you know about me?"

_I know you are in grave danger._

That was the last thing I needed to be reminded about. I take a seat on a tree stump and look at the Lucario. "Uh… are you a-"

Markus chuckles. _ You can't tell by my name? You know even in telepathy, our voices sound different._

"Okay, stop doing that, it's freaking me out. I can't finish a sentence without you doing it for me." I say, making myself look uncomfortable on purpose. "So, you are a he… making sure. So, what is the story with all these… attempts… on my life? Does my dad have anything to do with it?"

_You could say that. His people are under orders, but taking them too far._

"What about officer Jenny from Viridian? Did she receive orders from him or his people?" I ask, turning serious.

Markus actually thinks for a second. _I am unsure of what she has to do with this._

I sigh. "Great, I'm back where I started."

_Your father's man was close to him. The one who gave you me. He sent him in hope of finding you quickly._

"Why would he get attacked though? He looked like a regular hobo."

_A red haired boy attacked him. I defended him, but because we were being attacked by an arcanine, I was returned to the pokéball and forced to do nothing as one who served under a fair and just master died for me._

My father, fair and just? News to me. "All right, this boy attempted to take my life on the way to vermilion city, in diglett cave. He must have higher connections than I thought."

_Well, that is all I have to say. Return me to the ball will you? I'm tired, and I need to reflect on the day's happenings._

"You're telling me." I say, and return him to the pokéball. I head back to camp and don't tell them what happened. They don't question me, and I just go to sleep, thinking about why my father is back._ Does he want to see me or what?…_ I think, but I just forget it and focus on sleeping.

-----

We all get up the next morning, and it is again an uneventful day. I let my pokémon all out to eat (And introduce everyone to Markus, who doesn't talk for some reason) and we ask ninetails if we are on the right track. She just says that she can't do anything more, except remind me of my impending doom. After the charming breakfast, we leave promptly, hoping to get to Lavender as soon as possible.

A few hours after leaving the campsite, we come to a rest house. The familiar tan bricks and square windows remind me of viridian forest and its rest house. We head on through, though I let my eevee out with me to walk with us. She needed the exercise.

The rest house led to what was accurately called "The Docks," as all they were, were indeed docks. The wooden platforms suspended above the water (which I heard wasn't very deep in the first place) seem to go on for infinity.

I turn to Sakura and ask, "Why does Kanto have a huge amount of these platforms?…"

She plainly answered: "Kanto lives largely off of fishing, and this is a quick way to Fuchsia city. No one wants to traverse mountains or go through underground tunnels when there is the nice, wide ocean to look at."

I nod, and we continue our way. Serena gives me a few concerning glances as we walk, but I try to ignore them._ I don't want to push her away, but I will not talk about these things…_

We get to Lavender town in a few hours, and I find the place too much like home. Except for a pokémon center and a pokémart, it is pretty much pallet. Ignoring the tower of course. It is small, almost abandoned looking town. A few people are walking the streets, and the houses are small, tan, and mostly brick (a few have plastic outing).

We head to the nearby hotel, needing a place that has a REAL bed and real, fresh food. The girls check out their own room, and I just get my own for myself. They decide to stay the rest of the day to relax, and I tell them I'm going to head around town to see what I can do.

As I walk about, I ask a few people about this "cursed one" that was mentioned to me by Jenny. _Could it be he was the one in my dream? The man in traditional clothes wielding a sword?_ I think, not really pointing my head in any directions. People don't say much, but I come to a fair man with an orange T-shirt and blue jeans who has much to say about this "Cursed One."

"Oh, him. Ah, a good guy. Really, he's kinda put-off-ish, but he's kind at heart. Don't let the big sword fool you either, he can use it, but he hardly ever does to living things, even if he hunts. You can find him at the top of pokémon tower, and he pops up down here occasionally."

I thank him and head to pokémon tower, not wanting to bring my friends up with me, even though I may need their help more than I think.


	12. The Climb

12

I push open the large wooden doors that lead into the tower, and am stunned at my first sight. There isn't even a reception desk, just gravestones all over the limestone tile floor. _Pokémon are… buried here? This place looks so sad… it is appropriate._ I think in my own head, and just walk on. I look around and find a staircase quickly, and rush over to it.

I head up and almost trip as I run into another person. I fall on the floor, but safely use my hands. He runs on, but I catch a glimpse of his brown spiky hair and purple shirt. _Must be someone visiting._ I tell myself. I get up and come face to face with a ghastly. It rushes at me but I duck behind a gravestone and continue running along the floor to the next staircase.

"Why are you attacking me!?" I yell, but it just looks at me and I notice a black… thing appear behind it, and I realize that is a night shade attack. I sprint toward the stairs, and dare not look back as the ghastly unleashes the attack. I reach the stairs and shut the door, just in time to prevent most of the attack; A small sliver slips through and hits me in the abdomen. I am knocked back against he stairs hard, and grab a rail on the wall to prevent myself from falling back down. I struggle to my feet, and check my stomach. Not even a mark.

I get to the end of the stairs and decide I need help, traversing this place of mourn that is somehow full of angry ghosts. I release Markus and ask of he has any attacks that hurt ghosts.

_I do have the Dark Pulse attack, but it is a ring attack. If you don't duck or jump, I may hit you dead on._

I nod and keep that in mind as we go around the floor. There are walls this time, lined with gravestones, and it seems maze like.

"What kind of tower IS this?!" I say out loud.

_Perhaps one to test the vigilance of those who want to get to the top… to see their pokémon._

"Or maybe the people who made this oh so long ago weren't very smart."

Markus chuckles, then pushes me back, making me duck. He jumps up and unleashes a dark pulse. I look at what he may be aiming at, but I see nothing. Then after a few seconds, a ghastly appears, and fades away like dust.

_All things exude an invisible energy called aura that I can see. This includes invisible ghosts._ Markus tells me. I nod and we continue through the maze of walls, and come to the staircase in a few minutes.

Upon opening its doors, A haunter comes out and slashes at me. Lucario jumps in the way and takes the full brunt of the Shadow Claw. I catch him and note the bleeding across his chest.

"Oh shit…" I say aloud, and return Markus to the pokéball to prevent farther harm. I release Abby and she does a flamethrower at the haunter without even being told.

_Come, we must hurry._ She says. I nod, and we run up the stairs. The next floor is normal now, and a few spirit channellers are around, but have an empty look in their eyes. I caution Abby not to hurt them, and we just jump and dodge past each one, getting to the next staircase.

"Why… what is wrong with this tower!?" I say aloud, not really asking Abby.

But she answers anyway. _I feel an odd power at work here. And I don't like it._

The next floor was empty. I decide to take this time to help heal my Lucario. I release Markus onto the floor and lay his back against a tombstone. I swing my backpack around to my front and take out a potion. I look at his chest and notice how bad the wound is. Three stripes, lining up perfectly, are raked bright red across his chest. I take the cap off of the hyper potion I just go out and spray it on his wound. He flinches, but Abby and I hold him down. I decide to empty the whole container on him, knowing that more isn't worse when it comes to potions.

_T-thank you._ He gets out, stuttering even in his telepathy.

"What are friends for?" I say, and ask if he wants to be returned to the pokéball.

_No, I think I can walk, I just need some bandages for this wound. Dark Pulse and my aura sight are something you two need. I don't need to physically strain myself._

I simply nod, bandaging him up, and we continue on that floor up to the next set of stairs. I plant my back against the wall, next to the doors. I command my ninetails behind me and Markus next to me, and I reach forward. I grab the doorknob, but a purple, claw-like hand reaches through the door and grabs my arm. I try to resist, but feel feint, as if losing my body and mind, and almost fall down. Markus acts quickly, kicking open the other door, and uses a Dark Pulse. It hits me straight on, and I'm tossed reeling like a paper bag to the ground. I try to look up, but cough up some blood that lands on the ground next to my head. I see a gengar fly over me, and into the wall near me. Markus runs forward and uses what I suspect to be a Stone Edge, impaling the gengar with the spike on his right wrist. The gengar cringes, and fades away.

I get up to my feet, oh ever so slowly. "Ow…" is all I can get out, but I glance at Markus.

_If I had not done that, the gengar may have pulled out your soul, and you'd have become like those channellers below. A lifeless soul that indulges on the most primitive needs._

I nod, still in pain, but stop coughing up blood. "We need to hurry." I say, and we walk slowly up the stairs. Markus stays in front, to scout, and Abby stays behind me. We go up the stairs, and don't find much on the next floor, but Markus keeps us below.

_There aren't many tombstones even, but haunter and ghastly are all over the place. _He tells us. I nod, and tell Abby that he may need help.

_Yeah yeah, I'll help of course. I'm sure you wouldn't mind a hypnosis or two would you? _ She asks Markus directly.

_That would be most appreciated._

Markus rushes forward, but Abby says to me as she dashes by, He_ is so… polite._

"You like it?" I ask.

_Hardly._

I chuckle to myself, and watch them go forward. Markus uses a foresight so anyone can see them in the room. Unfortunately, he gets pummeled by a night shade, but he stays on his feet and uses a Dark Pulse to take out a few, dodging other attacks. Abby, in the mean time, is his rear help; She is using hypnosis, with sound accuracy, and taking out pokémon Markus isn't hitting.

Eventually, only one haunter is left, and Markus is exhausted on the floor. Abby gets in front of him and uses a nasty Fire Blast and hits it dead on. She then stops and looks like she is in deep thought. I ask Markus what she is doing, and he answers.

_Nasty Plot, increases her ranged attacks' power. Useful if all she is going to use is Flamethrower and Fire Blast._

I nod, and just wait a few seconds for her. She comes out of the move, and comes over to me. Markus gets up slowly and walks over to me, and brushes his hand on Abby's side. She blushes a little bit.

I grow alarmed and blurt out loud. "Okay, that is the LAST thing you two need to think about. C'mon, lets keep going."

They both blush, but follow me anyway, resuming our formation again. The next floor we don't see anything, not even by Markus, so I decide to take a little bit to catch my breath and Markus does the same.

_You humans are so weak._ Says Abby. _Why was it you who had to be blessed with intelligence and ingenuity?_

I don't answer, and don't particularly care at the moment, because a sharp spike of pain shoots up my leg, and I realize what is going to happen.

"We're going now." I say, and return Markus to the pokéball. I run up to the next flight of stairs, Abby just behind me and swing open the doors. We run up them and come to what I find to be the last floor, with no stairs. We run forward, but I am grabbed by something on my shoulder. I don't take a glance, feeling that same empty feel I had earlier, and hit it away. I just run to the end of the room, which has a huge gold altar. I just sit down and look at what is happening. Abby is using a flamethrower on a ghost pokémon, but I can't see it. I try to take Markus' pokéball off to release him, but the curse's pain hits me entire body now, filling me up more than it ever has before. I just fall to the floor, hardly able to make a sound as it almost is paralyzing my throat, I am conscious long enough to watch Abby get pummeled by the pokémon, and see it walk toward me. _Walk?_ I think… _It is a ghost, isn't it!?_

I just sit there, the pain absorbing me, as it grabs my shoulder and pulls out what I guess would be my soul, just before I go unconscious. I float there, in its arms, and look at what grabbed me. A marowak with a fire in its eyes looks at me, and hits me, or I should say, my soul, with its bone club, sending me flying into a pillar. It hurts, but not my whole back, just my chest, near my heart. I land on the floor and I see my body on the floor a few yards away. _Am I really dead?_ I think, as the marowak prepares a toss of its bone. I just sit there, realizing I may not know anything past this point, when something rather unexpected happens. A man dashes in from the stairs, with short, blond hair, wearing a black combat kimono and a huge sword, what looks like a black, glowing zanpakto and, from about 25 feet away, swings it, and CUTS the marowak. It gets hit, and is cut clear down the middle. I fade away, but not before releasing a few drops of blood onto the floor.

The man looks around, and looks at ME._ How can he see me!?_ I think, and just sit there. He walks over, and PICKS ME UP. He tosses me into my body, and I go inside, but don't feel so great, as the curse's pain is still in me. He ignores my whining, and rushes over to Abby. He gets a potion out of his pocket and sprays her with it. Oddly enough, she is up in a few seconds, looking totally refreshed.

He runs over to me and says. "Don't worry, you will be fine." He stands up, and chants some incantations I don't hear well, as now I can't breath, and I feel like throwing up, but somehow, am still conscious. He then takes his sword, and raises it above his head, pointing it down at me, and brings it down on me with all his might.


	13. Chapter 13

13

I feel the sword go through me, and gasp. _Gasp? I can breath again!?_ I think, not even sure that the fact I almost died had sunken in yet. It hurt, but not in the deathly way I had expected. The sword had fazed through me, and I felt the pain ease away slowly. I close my eyes and let this odd sense of comfort fall over me, glad that I am finally rid of this curse.

-----

I wake up, still in the tower, but the lack of light coming from the windows tells me it is night out. The man who thrust his sword into me is kneeling at my side, but talking to my Lucario.

…_He is kind, but has trouble with people._ He says, I not hearing what this man asked.

He nods. "A curse of that power… should have killed most people his age much sooner. He must have some kind of will power…"

I move my hand to grab his clothes. "Don't talk about me behind my back." I say, with a smirk.

The man chuckles. "You got my message then?"

"That was you?" I ask, assuming he is referring to my dream.

"Of course. Jenny called me first, to say that an extremely powerful curse had been laid. I sensed it, and tried to call out to you."

"Well it worked… but that isn't all that has been getting to me."

"Oh? Explain, on the way down. No one will come to harm us as we go down the tower."

And indeed he was right. As we walked on, most of the pokémon went on their usual business, as if nothing had happened that day. As we go down, he supports me by having my one of my arms over his shoulder. I tell him about attack from Viridian, the curse and it's painful effects, and the assassin who attacked me and the man who brought me Markus. When I started to talk about how we ascended to the top, he stopped me.

"That happened because of your curse. The ghost pokémon are attuned to that sort of thing, and if it had not been for your pokémon, you might have died before I found you."

"Not all of them…" I say, and look down and at my eevee's pokéball. "I never even released her when I was about to die at the top… I'm a horrible trainer. I haven't even caught my pokémon."

"I bet she knows why."

"Why? Because I'm so stupid I won't let my best friend know what is about to happen to me?"

"Stop beating yourself up. No, it is because you wanted to save her. Deep down inside, you knew releasing her, being weaker than your other two, would have put her in danger. A good trainer puts the lives of their pokémon over a silly little good bye."

I nod, and release my eevee, and before she is even done coming out of the red flash, she jumps into my arms, crying and rubbing my chest with her head. "I don't care. We have to share experiences, and I won't shun her for safety. I promise, eevee, that I will take you where ever I go, through thick and thin."

He just nods and acknowledges my feelings, and we walk out of the tower. There is actually a small crowd of people, and they cheer. I look around and see Sakura and Serena at its front.

I get off the man's back and almost collapse, but Serena catches me and puts me on my feet. I ask her, "What is going on around here?"

Serena gives me a proud look. "Well, after you left, we figured you went up the tower. Little did we realize that half the town knew. These town folk sense supernatural powers very well, and your curse hit them like a tidal wave. We came out and they were all out here very concerned for you. And get this: You are the first human in recorded history to live through a ninetails curse."

I just lie there as the small crowd cheers for me. "This is all for nothing. I didn't even deserved to be cursed…"

"Well DUH! That is why they are cheering for you, they WANT you to live!"

I try to get up, but I stumble over. "Do they expect a speech?"

"No, they expect you to get a good sleep. Draxik can tell you more tomorrow." Explains Serena.

"Who?" I say, slightly confused.

"Just go sleep."

And we do, as all three of us, with my eevee, Markus, and Abby, head off to the inn for a good night's sleep.

-----

The next morning, we all wake up, and it goes perfectly normal until we get outside the inn, when the man with a zanpakto saved me awaits. "I've been waiting here all morning."

"It's nine AM…," I say.

"Been up since six." He says frankly.

"Aren't you a little boy scout?" I say, sarcasm filling my voice for the first time in days. "Okay, let's all head out toward Saffron City, I need to tell you guys something there."

They all nod, and just head out, and I notice something on the man's waist, a pokéball. "Hey, wait, uh…"

He turns around. "Draxik."

"Yeah, you, OH YOU? Yeah, uh… What pokémon do you have with you?"

"Later. And don't ask about my cursed status either, that will have to wait." He says to cut me off. I shrug and just continue toward the girls.

We come to a clearing a few minutes out of Lavender, and I signal for us to stop. We all gather around a log that I sit on, and look at everyone in the group. Serena, Sakura, Draxik, and my little eevee. I sigh, and start.

"When I was really small, like before one year old, my father left my mother, completely unexpected. I never truly knew what happened, except for one day I was cleaning my room and I found something odd in a pokéball that I was supposed to use for my first pokémon, and I suspect I found it before I was supposed to. It was a chip, and I placed it in a memory card and promptly into the computer to watch it, and it told me how he has, at the last minute, became the leader of Team Rocket."

I stop, and Sakura gasps, and Serena doesn't change much expression. Draxik looks wild with rage."

"I was too young, but I did know that Team Rocket was a bad group of people, who weren't above killing and stealing for political gain. He said that at the last second, he was voted in as leader after Giovanni was beaten by some Ash kid. My father must have received some kind of message from that little video, because the next time I went onto the Internet, he started talking with me. I shunned him at first, saying I hated him. He left my mom and I and joined an equivalent of a pokémon Mafia. He told me that I would have to join eventually, but I just shoved him out of my life from that day off. I never even told my mother, hoping it would all go away. I was 5. Now that I'm 12, I suspected that starting my pokémon journey would start something, but kept shoving it out of my head. I didn't know that I was supposed to be an heir by the time I was this age. What he has been trying to do lately… is find me. But, his men have been attempting to take my life. Markus, Lucario, told me that his men… were acting on their own reasons."

"I still remember vividly the last day I talked with my father. I didn't believe him then, but he said he was trying to turn Team Rocket around, to helping. But he told me one thing that I still take to heart this day. No, two things: He is still my father, and always will be, and that there is a man I should watch out for. He didn't give me a description, but the man with Dark Ambitions is one who wants to usurp the power of Team Rocket, though few know why. My father says he is second in command, and wants nothing more than leadership. And he'll do anything to get it."

"So what is our next move?" Asks Sakura. "Do we want to find him? Hide, or leave Kanto?"

I shake my head. "We are going to end it, or die trying, as they are very powerful of late. I'll go to Team Rocket's base and try to talk with my father. Seven long years and I'm only 12, and I hardly know what is going to happen. I still hardly know my father. I may be attacked upon walking in."

"So we are going to find him how?" Asks Serena.

"I haven't thought that through yet…" I rub my temples with my fingers. "But I know that he wants me to lead Team Rocket in peace, and his men don't. So really, besides finding my dad, I'm stuck. Can I trust you guys to help me out?"

Serena gives me a funny look. "Of course silly! We all know about Team Rocket, and we know you. They don't mix. We'll end Team Rocket's activities as quickly as possible, so don't worry your little head."

Sakura walks over and places a hand on my shoulder. "My duty as a ranger calls to end their acts of violence, so I'd help you, whether or not you wanted it."

Draxik just gets up and walks toward Lavender again. "I'll see you guys around. You have your way around Team Rocket, and I have mine. Bye." He says, a hint of anger in his voice, but I don't let it get to me.

I start talking again. "Okay, we don't know for sure where they are, but Viridian is controlled by them obviously, as evidence that I was hit by the entire police squad there. But, if I remember the news correctly, there was a take over of Silph. Co a while ago. We should head there, as agents might be around still."

"Well, then off we go to find an organization we know hardly anything about, that likes to kill, and is looking to kill someone we know!" Says Serena, acting like she was giving a pep talk. I laugh, and lead the group, having my eevee walk with me, and the two girls behind me. _My father and all this Team Rocket business has finally come around to bite me in the ass._ I think. _Well, now I am going to end it. I'll disband Team Rocket once and for all, or lose everything I know trying_


	14. The Life of Raizu Kawashima

The Life of Raizu Kawashima

_The Life of Raizu Kawashima_

By: David Koch

14

Karma is a bitch. I should know, I shunned my dad my whole life, and now everyone is trying to kill me. Figures, that is just my luck. I leave Pallet Town, and get attacked by the whole police force of Viridian, and nearly lose my life to some half-baked curse to a kind woman who was blinded by rage. Now, I travel with my Ninetails, named Abby (that arrogant little…), my Lucario, Markus (who is a bit too polite for his own good), and my precious eevee, who has been my closest friend from the start. I don't know her name though, and it still scratches me from the darkest depths of my mind, and I do have two pokémon who can talk to me via telepathy, but I don't bother. I guess trying to live is a higher priority than learning your closest friend's name. I suppose…

My company and I have just left Lavender, having dealt with the whole curse ordeal already that plagued me the day I left Viridian. My two friends include Sakura, the West Kanto Pokémon ranger. She has on a bright crimson shirt, with a dark green vest on over it. Her hair is now just one long ponytail straight down her back, but it was two smaller ones when I met her. She always wears white tennis shoes and equally dark green shorts. My other friend, a "Panda Pokémon" fanatic, is Serena. She has on sky blue trench coat, which she never uses actually, except for pokéballs really. Her shorts are tan and go down to about her knees. Her shirt is pink, and has a picture of this "panda" creature's head. Main part is white, while the ears and snout are black. Like this, her hair is done up in two buns, each black, and the rest of her hair dyed white.

For now, we have resolved to try and disband Team Rocket, but that seems like an epic idea. How can 3 people disband an entire organization that has planted its roots in this continent's government since day one?

I have no idea, but I plan to find out. The same day we left Lavender, I decided that I would talk to Markus in private again, wondering exactly WHAT he did for my father. A pokémon can't exactly "work" for a person, but that is how he described his position with my father, and I intend to find out more.

The whole day, we just walk, having friendly conversation, totally keeping off the track of Team Rocket, when before we know it, it turns to evening. We set up our camp again, and just after the girls go to sleep, I decide to talk with Markus. I grab his pokéball and head out of the field and into the forest, for seclusion. More than likely he is asleep, but I could care less right now.

I find a small clearing in the forest, regretting not having put on my shoes before I walked out here, the sticks cutting at my feet as I walked through them. I sit myself on a tree stump (I find a lot of these…) and release Markus from his pokéball. He appears in the familiar red flash on the ground, still bandaged up from the tower experience and lying down, sleeping. I nudge him awake and he gets to attention quickly, but winces when he stands up, the wound not even being an entire day old.

_What did you call me out here for, Raizu?_ He asks.

"I find that obvious, but I'm asking." I say. "I need to know about my father. I hardly know anything besides that he was a kind man, so what can you tell me? Why is he involved with Team Rocket at ALL is my main question?"

_That will come with time._

"Damnit Markus! You are MY pokémon now, and I want to know what my father has to do with anything. I can't do much if you don't tell me, but I won't be able to trust you if you clam up!"

_Fine. Tomorrow night we shall talk._


	15. Chapter 15

15

15

The next night came. And the next, and the one following that, and Markus refuses to talk every night. It has become so irritating that I have stopped having him come out of the pokéball. A pokémon can live for months on end just stuck in its pokéball, as so little energy is used, and so much is conserved, but I do it so he can't communicate with Abby anymore. She doesn't seem to care, but I believe they are in a relationship, and doing this to Markus probably hurts both of them. I don't tell Serena or Sakura about this, but I'm pretty sure they notice something so obvious.

The next few days, besides the lack of Markus, go normally. Abby is fine, and my eevee is as cute as ever, and still powerful. She takes down most trainers all by herself, with a few quick attacks, take downs, and a Technical Machine I found in my bag mysteriously for Shadow Ball. _Thank you Draxik._

The next day, Serena comments that we are just a day away from Saffron, and that we'll be there the next day probably. This turns my mood up a bit, and I decide to forgive Markus. _Hell, maybe he doesn't know much and is sorry he can't help me._ I also decide that this is a good time to find out what my eevee's name is.

We make camp, and I decide to do this with everyone present. I release all my pokémon, and Sakura does as well. Sakura releases a Seviper, Roserade, Pidgeot, and a companion I have yet to see, a Vaporeon come out too. _Great, more eevee evolutions._ I think. We all just talk around a fire, having a fine time amazingly. We completely forget what we set out to do, until I ask about my eevee.

I turn to Markus and say, "Hey, could you do me a favor and ask my eevee what her name is? I don't like calling her eevee all the time, it sounds demeaning…"

He nods and says to her, _Hey there. Your trainer is wondering your name… but I'm sure you heard him right?_ He stops, then nods and says, _Heh, yeah, don't I know it._

"What are you saying?" I ask, irritation tossed into my voice on purpose.

_Just a sec Raizu. Okay "eevee," what is your name then?_

She barks her name and a few syllables, and Markus goes wide eyed. _Do you know your mother's name?_

She nods and says her name a few more times. Markus gets up off his log so fast that it goes rolling backwards. Serena and Vaporeon happened to be on the same log, and both fell over on their back. He just turns around, and starts crying and jumps away into the trees. I just get up and run after him. I don't let anyone else follow me, as I followed the main path after him.

I keep on running down the patch, watching him jump through the trees at an amazing speed, it can only be compared to a ninja or samurai. I eventually lose sight of him, but keep on running anyway and decide to turn into the trees. I just dash around, looking for a clearing that Markus might be in. After 30 minutes of looking, I almost give up hope that I am lost from the others and Markus. I can't find the path, and I said for my friends to wait behind. I don't want to be left out here.

I continue another half hour. _THIS IS HOPELESS._ I think. _I'm lost in the middle of nowhere, a day or so from saffron and too far from Lavender._ I decide to sit myself on a log and sit for a while, and realize how tired I am. Sprinting at night wasn't too good an idea. I almost fall over asleep when I hear a bark from behind me. "GOWLITHE!" It said, and I turn around to see one of such pokémon. I back up a little, and dodge just after a flamethrower is fired at me. I keep running through the forest in some direction, god knows that it is toward the main path.

I just keep running, until I come to face a cliff. _I picked the perfect way to go… _I think, thinking this is the worst possible place to be left for dead. I turn around and see the growlithe shoot a fire spin. I just place my arms across my chest and brace myself, as the fire hits me. I look up and see only the bright orange and swirling yellow of fire as it towers above me, and feel a heat tingling my skin. Actually, its killing my skin. I want to scream, but I doubt there is much oxygen in this little tower, so I just huddle down and hope that it ends. The fire keeps going, for a minute, then what seems like a year, and I'm about to pass out when the fire stops. I don't look, but just feel some water splash on me calmly. I look up and see Markus holding the limb body of the growlithe. Its eyes are wide open and is soaking wet. He tosses it into the woods and starts apologizing.

_I'm, I'm sorry. That wasn't supposed to happen. I just needed to leave really quickly. I needed alone time._

"Is an hour enough for you?" I say, hardly able to get up. I try to stand, slowly rising to my feet, but burns on my skin unleash their fury onto me and I fall over, almost screaming. He catches me and smiles at me. I try to smile back, but just keep a plain face. He walks (with me hanging on arm on his back to stay up) with me to a clearing, and sets me on the ground. I turn my head slowly and ask "What happened? My eevee… what did she say?"

_Her name._

"That makes you feel like running away how?

_Her name… was Veera. When I was with Team Rocket, before I was your father's pokémon, they had some experiments. Mostly to test some theories their scientists had. And it involved breeding. Because Team Rocket was also studying how eevees evolved and their unstable genetics, they decided to have me mate with some, as I was a Lucario noticeably stronger than others who were as experienced as me. The female eevees were all given drugs to perpetuate their heat cycles… and you can imagine what happened. But, even though most of it was forced, there was one Epson that I liked, and fell for. Her name was Alexis. But, I eventually became regretful for what I was doing. I wasn't the only pokémon obviously, but I still hated it. I voiced my thoughts to a man who worked closely with your father, and he said he could escape with me. We did such, and I never even said good bye to Alexis. I only named one of our children, one who showed more hostility and power compared to the rest. Veera._

_After leaving, I suppose your father sent an assassin after us, who must have been hired by the corrupt viridian to go after you as well, and met both of us. You know the rest from there… I'm guessing that, because my relationship with Alexis wasn't secret in the least, that your father gave Veera to Oak, for you._

I decide that it's a good thing I'm lying down, or I may have fallen over. _What other horrible acts have you done father?…_ I think. I try to get up, and ask Markus if he knows where we are.

_I don't know how we can get back, but I know the direction directly opposite of the mountain eventually leads to the main road. Tomorrow morning, we'll go._

I nod and decide to let sleep come over me, the burns only lingering pains by now.


	16. Chapter 16

16

16

I wake up the next morning slowly and calmly. Markus is sitting a few feet away from me, feasting on a rattata.

I try to get up, but just fall over. I guess Markus heard me, as he turns around and tosses the remains elsewhere. _I don't think you can walk._

"Neither do I…" I think, and just let him pick me up and throw my arm over his shoulder. He stands up and starts a brisk walk opposite of the mountain, which should lead straight to the road eventually. He hobbles along through the trees, not encountering any pokémon and keeping a steady pace, making sure I don't feel much pain.

I decide to take the time to try and console Markus. "I think you should tell eev- uh, Veera, about who you are. I'm sure she doesn't know her father."

_I… just don't know. She may know me as someone who just left her mother for no reason._

"Or maybe she yearns to know who her father is."

He doesn't respond, and we just continue our direction. We keep walking, and after a few hours, we get to the path. By now it is almost noon, and we haven't said a word. I get off his back, feeling able to walk again, and just continue next to him. We continue walking for what feels like hours, when we find Sakura, prowling the forest with her Roserade.

"Oh, thank god we found you!" She says. "We were worried you got attacked or something."

"I was…" I say, and indicate my arms and abdomen, which are covered with first and second degree burns. "A growlithe attacked me with a vicious fire spin…"

"Oh no. Well, Serena went off in some other direction, pidgeot is looking for them. Lets go. I'm not much of a doctor, but Serena knows her stuff."

I nod, and we just go forward. We head off along the path, which is void of tree tops, so we can see Sakura's pidgeot. After a few minutes, it appears and calls us off to the north, toward the mountain. We come into a clearing, and I see a boy attacking my ninetails with a Xatu. Abby launches a flamethrower by command of Serena, who is just behind her, back to the mountain.

The boy is not to tall, nor short, and looks like he is a trainer too. He has long, brown hair that covers a lot of his face, and goes down to his shoulders. He wears a purple shirt, black cargo pants, a green belt, and green combat boots. His shirt has some kind of patch on his shoulder, as if covering some kind of logo or symbol.

"All right, lets get this done. Xatu, Psybeam." His Xatu readies itself as it launches a multicolor beam at Abby.

"Use an Iron tail Abby, get around that beam!" And on command, Abby shifts her body so the beam goes to her left. She ducks and jumps at the Xatu, shifting her body so she flips her glowing tail into the Xatu. It goes flying several feet away, and into a tree.

"Crap!" Yells the boy. He returns it. "I know that is not your ninetails, where is its trainer?"

_How would you know that?!_ Asks Abby.

"I saw him at Pokémon tower." He answers frankly. He sticks his tong out at Serena, none of them aware we are watching from the trees.

"Well, why are you looking for him?!" Asks Serena, angrily.

"I have business. His name is Raizu, no?" Asks the boy.

I decide to reveal myself, with Markus next to me. "I am he. Raizu Kawashima. What is it you want?" I say, giving myself what I perceive to be an air of superiority. I turn to Markus, who has an aggressive stance, and I smirk at the boy.

He freezes up, and says. "MY last name is Kawashima. I'm Rachamim Kawashima, and I want to challenge you to a battle."

I chuckle. "You have already lost out to my ninetails, and she wasn't under my command even. Do you have two more pokémon to use?" I motion for Abby to come to me, and Veera from behind Serena. Markus gives Veera a concerned glance, but she doesn't notice.

"Fine. But just one more." He tosses out a pokéball that releases a Feraligatr, and I decide to go with Markus.

"Ready for a fight?" I say, completely confident.

"Hell yeah." We both command for our pokémon to charge, and we start my first truly challenging battle.

--

I can't believe I lost. This… KID… Rachamin, completely annihilated me. Markus wasn't left with any real wounds, but he was knocked out fairly quick. After healing up Abby and his Xatu, we fought, and Abby lost too. Veera kept wanting me to send her, but I shook my head every time.

After the battles, we decided to head straight for Saffron, but Rachamin wanted to follow us.

"Please let me come with you guys. I could show you a thing about battling or two."

"I could care less." I say. "If you have better trained pokémon, then I just need more time."

"No, I believe you have fine pokémon, you just need more battle practice. I mean, Serena beat my Xatu with your ninetails, and when you took command, you lost."

"Her name is Abby." I say, and sigh. I have to give in I suppose. His pokémon don't look much stronger than mine, and I need all the help I can get. "Fine, I'll take what ever pointers you have. I don't like being the only guy here…"

"SWEET!" He says. He walks up to me and puts out his hand. "We've exchanged names already, but what the heck. I'm Rachamin Kawashima."

I bring out my hand to meet his slowly. "Raizu Kawashima. I'm sure it's just pure coincidence that we have the same last name."

"Yeah, I am too." He says with a bright smile.

--

Later that night, I call everyone to meet in a group again, and reveal something to lighten my mood.

"Well, I'm 13 now." I say nonchalantly.

Sakura just looks at me. "Wait, it's your birthday today?" She asks, clearly confused.

"Yep. I was near 13 when I started, and now I am. I'm officially 'Teenager' status." I answer with a sleight chuckle.

Rachamin gets up. "This calls for some kind of party!" He gets out his MP3 player, speakers that he has seemed to pull out of nowhere, and turns them on really loud, to a song I hate, called "Magical Mystery Tour," by The Beatles. We all crack up laughing.

"Where did you get those?" Asks Serena, laughing the hardest of any of us.

I shush Rachamin. "We can celebrate tomorrow, when my burns are gone and we can actually celebrate."

He shrugs and shoves the equipment into his pocket. Then Sakura points out something I had not yet realized. "Your burns are gone Raizu."

I look down at my body, arms, and pull up my shirt. I'm totally healed. "Meh, must not have been too bad I suppose."

For a safe night, to make sure nothing happens, we release all out pokémon, to meet and greet one another. Markus mentions nothing to Veera, who doesn't seem to care about what happened the previous night. We all greet, and snuggle down in the group when I notice two missing. Markus and Abby. Not entirely tired yet, I get up and look around, and notice a certain bush south of us is crushed. _They must've gone that way._ I think. I get up silently and follow the direction I think they went.

I head through the forest, not running into any pokémon as I walk. Eventually, after a few minutes, I start to hear their thoughts.

… _so you haven't?_ Asks what I recognize to be Abby's voice.

_Not for fun, no._ Answers Markus

I duck and look around, and notice a small fire to my immediate left, and walk toward it. In the clearing, I see Markus and Abby both sitting on the ground. Markus is relaxing, his back on a log, and his eyes pointed at the cloudless sky. Abby is just looking at him, only a little lower than she probably should be when talking to him.

_It is a fine night._ Says Markus._ I feel bad, almost like I'm betraying Alexis…_

_You don't have to worry,_ She says, edging closer to him._ I'm sure you'll find her again. And I'm sure she won't mind what I'm about to do…_

I peek out from behind the tree, noticing Abby creeping closer to him, almost pressing her tongue against his stealth, but I stumble forward and fall flat on my face into the clearing. Markus stands up promptly and Abby sits up and turns to me calmly.

_What are you doing?_ Asks Abby, her usual self._ Why can't we get a moment alone, especially in the forest?_

_It's all right Abby._ Says Markus. _I'm not sure we should do this in the first place._

I just sit there silently as Abby does what is probably the closest thing she can do to a shrug, and just walks off towards camp. I get up and look at Markus, who is sitting hunched over, looking at the ground.

I walk over and place my hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry I got in the way. I shouldn't have even watched."

_No, it's okay. I remember a little about my parents, and they said not to engage in these activities if you are having any second thoughts. I already felt bad before she started coming on to me._ He gets up and I just look at him walk toward the camp, but stops at the edge of the forest. _Raizu?…_

"Yes?" I say, feeling bad that I disrupted their alone time.

_Can you wake up Veera? I suppose I should talk to her._

I nod, and we both head back to the camp.


	17. Chapter 17

17

17

I wake up the next morning before anyone else. I look around, and notice Markus sleeping on the ground, and Veera next to him. _She must have taken it well I guess…_ I think to myself, happy for him. I get up quietly, and make sure no one else is up today. I don't see Rachamim anywhere, so I decide to put on my "Deep Purple" shirt that I have not yet worn.

Deciding that being nosy was the LAST thing I wanted to do, I decided to update my journal. A lot of crap has happened since I got out of Pewter, so I wanted to write down these things before I forget. I feel like doing this… in present tense, so I guess I have to write everything before this point again. A story never hurt anyone, right?…

By the time I'm done writing, everyone is up, and never talked to me. Abby seems to have totally forgotten what happened that night, and even said good morning to Markus and I. I still haven't seen Rachamim, even though Sakura has already made breakfast, which seems to be better everyday, and being great food already, that is only good news.

I put away the journal and beckon for Markus and Veera to come over to me. We walk away from the group a little into a clearing. We all sit down on the grassy, somewhat leaf covered ground and I look around at each of them. "Markus."

_Yes? _He asks, tilting his head in curiosity.

"How did it go? What did Veera have to say about… you know." I kind of glance away when I finish that sentence, somehow feeling somewhat responsible.

He looks at me, as tears start to build up in his eyes. When they finally start to drop down his black and blue furred face, he jumps forward and grabs me, hugging me and sobbing. _Veera always wanted to meet her father. I'm just so glad I can actually know one of my cubs. But…_

I pat him on the back and almost disregard the fact that he added a but. "It's okay Markus. You don't need to cry. Being happy only makes sense in this situation."

_Raizu!_ He says. _These tears are not of Joy. Apparently, after I decided I was finished with the program, they took away Alexis. She refused to have kids anymore, and would attack oncommers. Team Rocket got fed up with it, and removed her. Those were Veera's first memories._ He hardly finishes these before he sobs even more and leans his head totally over my shoulder. _She may be gone, because of me…_

"Hey!" I say, still patting him and trying to comfort him. I look at Veera, and she just turns her head away, staring off into space, as if in deep thought. "You knew what you were doing was wrong. I doubt she wanted you there, just degrading yourself more and more everyday."

He sniffles a bit, and releases me, and gives me a sad look. One of the saddest I'll probably ever see. "Don't worry. We'll find her. We'll make sure you find your mate again Markus. I swear we will."

Through the stream of tears and cries of sorrow, he manages a small hint of a smile. _You are truly a kind person._

--

We all pack up and leave for Saffron smoothly. I decided to let Markus walk with us today, thinking a brisk walk will get his mind off of Alexis and what may now be a deep hatred for Team Rocket. He doesn't mention much to the rest of the group, still having only confined most of his secrets with me. I figure it is just because I am his trainer, but I can't help but think there is more too it.

As we walk, Rachamim describes how he came to meet us, and the various hair styles he has used. When he started out his journey, he had long, flowing, lighter brown hair. He then tried it spiky, which is how I saw him at Pokémon Tower. Now it is just loose, and somewhat long. He says he always liked his life. He had it fine in Twinleaf town, and came to Kanto because he preferred out mid-tropical climate to Sinnoh's cold and rainy climate. His first pokémon was Totodile, and admits to having caught an eevee, and having it evolved, and insists it is currently in the PC.

I decide to tell him about my entire predicament. My curse I recently had to deal with, my father's origins, and that we have vowed to disband Team Rocket. When we get to that subject, he becomes noticeably quiet and just says he'll help. None of us suspect anything is up, except that he may not be ready to fully hurt someone when the time comes. I doubt it'll come to that.

After a few hours of walking and conversation, we finally arrive at Saffron. After going through the rest house that borders the city, Serena, Rachamim, and I are all startled by the tall buildings. Sky scrapers seem to line up in endless rows and columns, making a grid of sorts. The Saffron Gym is to the Northern most point of the city, and the pokémon center to the Southern most point. In the city's center stands the tall, overwhelming building that is Silph co., the original creators of the Master Ball, rumored to be able to catch any pokémon without struggle.

We all go toward it, but Sakura stops us. "I think we'll need to set up some kind of appointment, I doubt walk-in's are allowed after the Rocket fiasco."

We all nod and decide that the worst thing that can happen upon going in is just them denying entry. Boy were we wrong.

We walk to the lobby and enter. The room is enormous. The lobby has beautiful crimson rugs, amazing, purple tapestries over the windows and walls, and well lit chandeliers on the ceiling. Inside, we only see a receptionist's desk. We walk up to it and ask if we can see anyone who was here at the rocket incident. She answers that all persons who were here were replaced or moved to different company locations, to prevent such a thing from leaking too far out, or hindering the company. I sigh and decided to walk around a bit more, as the rest of the group talks.

I head to the exit when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I casually look behind me and find a very creepy man. His face is hidden under the hood of a black robe, lined blood red on the inside. It is totally wrapped around him, but I can see he has a black shirt and pants on still. His shoes are black, the kind you would wear for formal occasions.

"Can I help you? I don't work here you know." I say, sounding irritated, to see if my tone of voice can push him away.

"I know that. Do you know who I am?" His voice is dark, and startling. I shudder.

"Should I?" I respond.

"No. This is good." He reaches out at lightening speed and grabs a pokéball that is separated from the rest on my waist, and he jumps back. I hardly realize what happens by the time he gets halfway across the lobby.

_That's Veera! _I think in my own head. I run after him, pumping my legs to catch up with him. I don't have time to tell the others, and just jump into the elevator to the next floor. When the door opens, I'm startled to find Draxik in front of me.

He gives me a curious look. "Raizu? What are you doing here?"

"Long story." I say. "Did you see a man with a robe go by here? He stole my eevee."

He nods. "Yes I did. Get out a pokémon, we'll go after him. I saw him dart toward the stairs."


	18. Chapter 18

18

18

I take out Markus' pokéball and release him. He lands from the red flash in an aggressive stance, an angry fire in his eyes. _I don't know who this man is, but he won't get Veera._

I nod, and then see Draxik shove a long, hard object at me. I hold it and look at it's end and see the hilt for a sword. "What in the-"

"Your pokémon can't always be there to help you. Take this Katana. You know how to use it?" He looks at me with a blank, yet curious face.

I unsheath the blade and look at it's majesty. The hilt is black, wrapped in a crimson cloth, and the whole blade slid out of the sheath easily and silently. The metal has no engravings, but shines with nearly no direct light and seems strong. I spin it around a few times, and stop it near my head, the sword in my right hand. I keep the blade down and point it forward, and keep my left hand near my waist, palm up, as if ready to catch something. I beam. "Been a while since I picked up one of these. Though I've never had such a magnificent sword…"

He shrugs. "I make them from time to time."

We start running down the hall when two men confront us. Both are wearing white lab coats and have pokéballs in their hands. The throw them at the ground and release a magneton and a magmar.

I stand back and hold back Markus. _He could take out that magneton with a close combat, but magmar would get a clear shot…_

I feel a huge wind blow pass me and I look up. A white sphere shoots past me and hits the magneton dead on. It goes sprawling into the man who called it out and down the long hallway. I look at Markus, who has both of his hands forward, above and below each other. "Since when can you use Aura Sphere?"

_Since Draxik taught me how while you were unconscious in pokémon tower._

I glance at him and he gives me a nervous smile. "I know things…"

I turn back to the magmar, which under command of his trainer, launches a flamethrower at me. I act quickly and dive at Markus, knocking us both down to evade the flamethrower. While it cools down, I decide to try out a little sword combat. I get up and lunge at it and make a stab. It sidesteps, but gets cut a little in it's side. It staggers into the wall, and I make a clear slash at its midsection. Blood shoots out at me as I make the cut, and I lick it off my lips with my tong. It falls over dead.

I then walk up to its trainer and pin him against the wall, pressing the sword lightly against his throat, making sure not to cut him. "That man who came by here earlier, with a black and red robe. Who is he?!" I yell, almost pressing hard enough for the man to bleed.

He grimaces and says, "They say he works for Team Rocket. A man who has Dark Ambitions…" He pushes the sword away when I hear him and just runs down the corridor.

_The man… with Dark Ambitions… this will be sweet._ I think, and head to the stairs, only a few feet away on my right. Markus follows right behind me and Draxik makes no comment about my odd choice of excessive violence as he follows us up. When we get to the next floor, I don't see anything.

I turn to Draxik and ask "Draxik, what do you know about this place?"

"I know I used to work here until the Rocket incident. I also know the president made the first Master Ball, and he is at the top floor, 13 I believe. That may be where this man is going." He keeps a thoughtful look on his face as he answers my question, but I ignore it. I decided that I don't want to come face to face with any more pokémon or trainers, and head to the elevator. Draxik follows and Markus does too.

We head up to the 26th floor and on the way up, Markus asks me something. _Why… did you kill that magmar? And in such a vicious way. A plain stab would have done the job with less blood, and you could have just kicked it away at its trainer._

I just stare straight ahead and don't answer.

_Raizu!? _He says to me, even louder.

"It's nothing. I just… felt a little angry and excited with a sword in my hands again. I haven't trained since I was 11. It was a little hobby of mine, I was quite good too apparently." I leave it at that, but he persists.

_I know you well enough to know that you aren't one to kill…_

"Then you don't know me because I am!" I snap back at him, and he hunches over in a corner. I look forward again just in time for the door to open and reveal to us a long hallway, which has the same red carpet the lobby has. I take my sword stance and Draxik pulls out his zanpakto from it's scabbard, secured by a sash around his waist, and Markus just follows us from behind, slowly, probably upset by my outburst again. I decide to not let it get to me, as the last thing I need is to worry about his feelings in a situation like that. While running down the hall, nothing jumps out at us. I was expecting some kind of trap, or someone to lurch out from one of the lab doors on our right, but nothing.

We get to the end of the hall and turn left, coming to a door that faces the direction we just came from. I walk over to it and wave my hand. "Not motion sensor." I say.

"Well, do we have a pass?" Says Draxik, who is looking at a key pad near the right side of the door. I walk over to it, and ask for Draxik to turn off the lights. He gives me a weirded out look, and does so. I get out a little flash light thingy I always carry around and shine it across each key. I notice 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9 are all oily.

He turns the lights back on. "Okay," I say. "This must be used a lot, as I must be the luckiest person alive. We know the 5 keys they use because of the oil left on the keys. If this was some abandoned ware house, that would never have worked."

Markus acts unimpressed, and just says, _So, what is the order?…_

I shrug. "Got me."

"We're running out of time. I say," Draxik stands back and raises his sword above his head. He calls out **SHADOW CLAW** in an abstract voice, like an echo, and cuts the door down diagonally. "That we just cut it down." He finishes with a smirk.

I don't even thank him as I dash into the room, holding the sword now at my side, pointed to the ground. I see two people lying in a bloody mess in the corner, slain by what appear to be gashes in their sides. One is a man in a fancy suit and the other a woman, with an equally fancy dress, a purple color. But both of their bodies are in a heap, covered from in blood from the gashes. I look away, but Draxik walks over to them. "Killed not to long ago."

"How do you KNOW these things?…" I ask, and don't wait for him to answer. I look at the opposite end of the room and, past a huge, circle table, I see a lone window. The hooded man stands at that window with my eevee in his hand. He is holding her by her tail outside the window, ready to drop her.

I totally freeze up._ Not… Veera. No, just no._

The man begins to laugh. "So, you like your little eevee, eh? I'm sure you would LOVE for me to drop her and watch her splat on the ground, but I think we may have a way to solve this problem."

He stops long enough for Veera too look at me and screams its name in pure fear.

_She says to forget about her, he works for Team Rocket._ Translates Markus. He walks up slowly from behind and charges up an Aura Sphere.

I bat his hands away. "No, I want to hear what he'll say."

The man with Dark Ambitions chuckles. "Good boy. Now, kill yourself."

I freeze up, and ask him, "What did you say?"

"Kill yourself. Surely you know why Team Rocket wants you dead. Because **I** want you dead. I want Team Rocket for myself, and you are in the way." He let's Veera slip a little from his hand a little and she squeals.

I just act. It was instinct, and I don't know why I did it. I jumped forward, dashing at an unbelievable speed at the man with my Katana ready to strike. I slide over the table an swing horizontally at the Man with Dark Ambitions, and he blocks it with his hand. An open hand, hidden under his robe still.

"Tch, that isn't a suicide Raizu." He picks up my sword, tosses it away, and then drops Veera.

I do what was quite possibly the stupidest thing from a logical stand point. I just jump straight out the window before she begins to fall and just hug her close to me as we both start to fall to the Earth from 26 floors above the ground. Tears well up in my eyes and I say to her quietly, "I'm sorry, but I guess you'll be alone now."


	19. The Fall

19

19

As we fall, I reposition myself so I hit the ground first, my eevee above me. I look at her and she gives me a look that I can't quite decipher. Maybe it is one of despair, for we both may die from this, or she will lose her trainer, who treated her kindly and with respect. Or it could be guilt, as she could feel that it is her fault I am going to die.

I simply hug her closely as the wind batters me relentlessly. _I really am going to die._ I think, and feel almost no regret. Shouldn't I be feeling sad, angry at people whom I hurt or hurt me? I feel nothing… maybe death won't be as bad as I thought.

Fortunately, I don't have to find out. About halfway through our fall, I hug Veera close to me, and she starts to glow. I release her, as her size changes and I lose all sight except for a faint silhouette as I start to fall from her faster. I decide that I don't want to see Veera evolve, the last thing I may see, and turn around to face the ground. Just when I am about 50 feet or so from the ground, I cannot tell to well, as the last thing I care about is the windows passing me by as I fall, I feel a weird tug on my back. I look up, and see an angel. I blink and quickly rub my eyes and see that it isn't an angel, but it's majesty can only be described as much.

It resembles a dog pokémon, so it could be Veera just evolved. She has a snow white fur, majestic, feathered wings, each one a pure white color and flapping quickly to try and slow my descent. It's tail is beautiful, long, and almost looks like a little cloud trail following her.

As she pulls on me, her teeth grabbing at my shirt, she pulls on it and tries to slow our descent by flapping her wings incredibly hard. She hardly slows us down. "Please, just save yourself Veera." I say. "I don't want us both to lose the world."

She just keeps trying, and when it seems like she has given up, she does something that'll change me for the rest of my life. She shoots down at me, and whips me up as she flies past, with her tail. Since we're about 30 feet above the ground now, I stop and start to fall again, and realize my fall won't be fatal now. I try to turn to look at Veera, but I realize something. _She just rocketed at the ground from 30 feet above it, no…_

I turn around, and my worst fears meet reality. I land on the ground with a thud on the right side of my chest, and pain shoots up my side and chest, as I think I may have broken a rib. I crawl slowly to where I see Veera lying on the ground. Her fur is as lustrous as it ever was, but now soaked in blood. The white meeting the red leaves it as a dark red stain, as she has an open wound on her side as she hacks up blood. The maroon red liquid hardly is coughed out of her, and simply slips from her mouth. She looks at me and I hear her thoughts, what I fear to be her final ones. _I'm glad I could have saved you, and not the other way around._ She then drops her head, and lays limb.

I feel as if my heart is stopped. _Is… did… Veera… she can't be gone… no she isn't… she's still alive… I must get her to a pokémon center. I won't let her die._ I don't feel any saddness or anger, just a force that is willing my aching and broken body to get her to the pokémon center. I crawl over to her and feel her fur, and the warmth of her body. _She isn't dead!_ I get up, and ignore the shock of pain from the broken rib, and possibly any other internal injuries. I just pick her up, her body incredibly light and still beautiful, even in this bloody state of being. I just head straight south, walking slowly, each step with my right foot shoot pain up my side. I try to breath heavily, but the rib prevents anything besides short, slow, and mild breathes. As I walk, I cough up blood a few times, but I ignore it. I don't find any houses and just keep going through a few alleys. After what feels like hours of walking, which in truth is nearly 20 minutes, I finally come to the pokémon center. But Veera's body feels cooler now. I try to get to the door, but just fall over in pain I an alley next to the center. _No… Veera, you can't leave me now… just when I needed you._ I try to get up, but pain spikes on my right side and my arm instinctively retracts, and I fall over on my right side again, the shock sending my vision black, the last thing I see being Veera's blood stained body in front of me.

--

I lay again in a dream like state. The purple-black smog sits in the crystal and tile like room, and I find my self floating among it once again. I walk around, my body caked in my own blood, the magmar's, and some of Veera's even. I eventually stop, still wanting to explore more of the area, still familiar from my dream that I met Draxik in. I turn to my right and see the familiar dark robe, belonging to the Man with Dark Ambitions.

"Why did you do that Raizu? You may both die now, and I still get what I want."

"I did it," I say, realizing I can actually control my dream like self now, and continue my sentence. "Because of that 'may' in your sentence. One of us will live, and I wanted it to be Veera."

"Then you just should have died Raizu. You should be dead…" He begins to fade away, almost incorporeal, similar to that assassin's spriteon. Deren? Why am I thinking of him?…

"No, because I don't give up. If I killed myself, I'm sure Veera would be dead anyway. You have no use for her, and she was the experiment that my father took. That program's success seems to be Veera, and if you lost her… you would want no one else to have her."

"Ah, naïve fool." He takes a step toward me, making one yard less than the few yards apart we already were. "You think I have anything to do with that kind of experiment? That was totally your father's idea, and I just watched over it, just like I watch over all of his… or my… men, as they do their work. You think your safe and that you can stop us, but you can't. Your little group cannot do anything to harm us, especially if we know every move you make. We are as incorporeal as a ghastly, as quick as a jolteon, and as strong as a tyranitar, yet as clever as a weavile. You can't do anything to stop us."

"To stop what?" I say, realizing this may be another contact, similar to what Draxik did.

"I wouldn't tell you if it killed you." He glances up, then looks down and shakes his head. "Well, it looks like my attempt on your life was half baked. But, I'll be sure to take you down myself. Why don't you come to Celadon city and pay me a visit? I'm sure your father and brother would love to meet you."

"BROTHER!?" I yell, completely hit off guard. He then starts to float away, and I feel a mild pain on my side. My right side. I fall over and all goes black.

--

I wake up with a start. I rise up instantly, and feel weird tugs at my head. I am clothed in a hospital gown, not wearing my clothes anymore. I feel around my head and feel a bunch of things stuck to it. I decide to lay down and keep them on.

The room is completely white, and from what I can tell, I am the only person in the room is me. A curtain sits on either side, and a bunch of monitors, which I suspect are for me, are on my left side. I lay back down and close my eyes and I hear someone enter the room. I decide to lay back and see if I can tell who it is by ear, and if they have anything to say.

The person pulls up a chair from the back and brings it closer to me. When the person speaks, I'm somewhat surprised by who it is.

"Oh Raizu… this is all my fault." Says Rachamim, almost stuttering. "God damnit, getting involved with Team Rocket was the worst thing I have ever done. I was trying to get away from them, as I was hired to hunt you down as well as Deren. But I was already on a journey, and just wanted a little extra cash. I was on a losing streak. And I said I don't want anything to do with them over the phone a week ago, when you updated your journal. We all know it is there, but none of us dare read it. Oh, I'm so sorry!"

_So, I was right to be suspicious of him, but for totally different reasons than I expected…_ I decide now is a good time to get up, and slowly open my eyes. "It's okay." I say to him.

"Oh, nice, your awake. I bet you heard all of that didn't you?"

"Nice way to treat a person who has been out for… from what you said, a week?"

He nods. "You had some shit health problems. You had a few broken ribs and a few internal bleeding issues, into your lungs too. But, with all of your surgery done on the day you arrived, I think you'll be fine. You'll have a scar on your abdomen and chest though. Some might find it sexy." He chuckles.

I don't acknowledge the unneeded and almost stupid comment about the scars being sexy, but I do acknowledge the comment about I have scars now. I don't see them, but I feel around my chest and stomach and feel the little stitches, each one holding together the skin.

"Oh, I should tell you something." Rachamim looks at me, then away at the door way, and looks sad almost. "Your… Veera… is…"

I freeze up and almost feel like crying, and I hiccup. "What!? Is… she isn't gone is she? Oh god no…"

He gets up and lets something jump at me through the curtains. "…Right here." He laughs.

I turn to him and think to myself, _If I had a gun, you would by on the ground right now screaming in pain…_

He looks at me and sees the rage in my face. He cringes and takes the curtain off of Veera, who now is pretty much on top of me on the hospital bed. "She was closer to death than you, but she made her recovery a lot faster. Must be the weird evolution. Anywho, meet Veera, who is now the new and mysterious Aereon!"

I look at her. Her fur is cleaner now, and I can get a good look at her face and body. Her eyes, no longer the purple they were that most eevee share, are now a dark, sapphire blue. Like my eyes.

"Can you talk, via telepathy?" I ask her. She just stares at me.

"I don't think so. Nine-, erm, Abby had to translate what happened after she was healed. She came off your belt and dragged you into the pokémon center, with Veera on your back. After Joy got your Veera hooked up, she noticed how bad you were. As she called the real hospital, Abby found us and told us where you were, as well as Veera's location."

I look at Veera and she licks my face. I then realize that all the blood was washed off of me and I didn't hurt anymore. I ask Rachamim to leave and get a nurse or the others, and he says he'll get a nurse. "You'd probably prefer to go meet them than come in and see you weak in bed, right?"

"No, I don't mind them seeing me here."

"But sometimes you act so-"

"Arrogant?" I say, cutting him off.

"Yeah, I guess." He rubs the back of his head nervously.

"Those days are over. Now, go get a nurse, I'd like to get dressed and see all my friends." I beam with a sincere happiness, glad that I will soon start off on my journey again.

Well, I am finally out of the hospital. I said "Soon," but it's been almost a month. Everyone visited me, and I am glad that Veera is still alive.

I hear everyone stayed at the pokémon center, but Serena decided to stay with me. We talked a lot, and we have become much closer than mere flirts. I don't mind. I have forgotten about Dawn, and don't really care anymore. Serena is here with me now, and that is what matters. To my disdain, we haven't had our fun yet. I shrug, knowing that it doesn't really matter, and we are still close anyway.

We leave the hospital and I see everyone waiting. Markus, Abby, Sakura, Rachamim, and Veera at their front. I smile and hug her as she jumps into me, and I am amazed by how light she was. "I'm glad you are okay Veera. I promise I won't let that kind of thing happen again."

I look up and see Draxik walk up. "You may need some more help, so here I am. You need some sword help it appears."

"I'll get you guys to Team Rocket." Says Rachamim. I guess I wasn't the only one he told. "I need to get back at them… For your sake Raizu, it's my fault you nearly lost your life."

"But I didn't. I have a vendetta against them already, don't worry about it. But… Thank you all. I almost died because of this 'Man with Dark Ambitions' threatened to kill my Veera. We are not gonna let him get away with it. We should head to Celadon City."

Rachamim cuts me off. "No, there will be an ambush there, that was what I was supposed to do originally. Lead you to it."

"Then we come prepared." I finish, and we all head off toward the West Side of town, toward Celadon. I head off after them last, and Veera is at my side. She thinks to me, _What is on your mind?_

I think back at her in the private channel she made, _Why don't you talk to them?_

_I can only talk to you, my trainer and master._

_NO Veera. I'm not your master. I'm a beloved friend. And I won't let anything happen to you again._


	20. The Resolve of Raizu Kawashima

20

20

He quickly deflected my vertical slash with a simple flick of his wrist, hardly using his sword's strength to his advantage. My arms goes reeling back and I jump backwards to avoid a counter attack.

"You say you have trained with swords?" Ask Draxik, my new mentor. "What did you train with? And WHO?"

"Erm, I'm self taught…" I say, regretting claiming to be a good swordsman.

"Well, in that sense, you are fine. You have all the basics down and an okay stance, unique and good on people who don't know much past basics. But overall, MAN you suck." He stabs his zanpakto into the ground and leans on the hilt. "But you can block my strikes, and you are much younger than me, good strength there."

I simply nod, not even sure what the basics are, when he lunges out and cuts downward at me. I use both hands and bring up my sword to block, letting it fall in front of me, and I just charge forward as if to cut his chest upward, but stop just in front of him.

"Nice." Says Draxik. I back up when Rachamim charges into our clearing.

I give him a look. "What do you want squirt?"

"It's Abby-" He stops and looks at me. "You are YOUNGER than me, what is with you and calling me that lately?"

I shrug, and let him continue. "Abby requests that you see her right away Raizu."

"Why? She can handle herself."

"That's just the problem." Says Rachamim, and chuckles.

"What?" I ask, feeling irritated with him already.

"You better follow me." He dashes off, and I look at Draxik. He shrugs (it's pretty much the only body language you see out of him, he hardly even nods) and we both just run after him.

--

After a few minutes we reach our camp. I look around. Abby is sitting alone in one side of the camp and Serena is looking over her, while Sakura, Markus, and today, Terreon, are near our tents, talking, with Markus translating various words Terreon says. I walk over to Serena, who is kneeling at Abby's side and peck her. She smiles and just says, "I'm not sure what is wrong with Abby, but she won't talk to anyone but you. She wanted to talk to you alone, not even Markus."

I look over Abby. She is breathing somewhat hard and kind of hunched over. I start to walk into the forest and she hobbles along after me, and after a few minutes of walking we stop. I sit on a log (again) and look up, noticing the space Abby wanted us to stop at had no sunlight coming through.

I sit and wait for her to get comfortable, and I ask, "What is the problem?"

_I turn twenty today._

I make a woot sound. "What does that mean?"

_It means I will now live for 1,000 years from now, and die on this exact day in that many years._

I don't let it get to me, but the thought of any pokémon of mine dying makes me shudder, even though I'll be long gone, and so will the rest. "Why does this matter?"

_I also enter my heat for the first time._

I kind of jump a bit. _Oh, I know exactly what that means… she's ready to mate._ "Erm, have someone in mind?"

_That's what I'm here to talk about. Jenny never had this problem, because she evolved me from a vulpix when I was about 15. But, for most pokémon, it may mean leaving the trainer. I have to leave for a day or so… and if I find a mate… one who isn't willing to be under command of a trainer, I may have to leave you…_

_I don't want to lose a pokémon…_ I think. "Are… you sure? You have too? We have plenty of males in our group."

_I'm sure they know already, when in heat, females give off a mild scent that turns them on, and they can tell where it's coming from._

The thought of seeing Markus go hard disturbs me, while making me want to laugh at the same time. "So… should I expect not to see you again?"

She does the closest thing she can do to a shrug. _I'm sure the others already know the state I'm in, and if they want me, they can come find me. I suggest you keep your camp here, and if I'm not back by tomorrow night, my heat has either past and no one came…_ She sniffles a little bit. _Or I have found someone…_

I simply nod, not wanting to put my selfish desires in front of her life. "That's okay Abby. You… do whatever until someone comes. We'll keep our camp where it is."

She sniffles a bit more._ Thank you. And I'm sorry Raizu, for everything._

--

I walk slowly back to camp, thinking of what I'll do without Abby. _It feels like I've known her for years, but only about two months…_ I think, remembering the curse fiasco and Saffron. Our travel to Celadon was messed up when we accidentally went north to Cerulean, which was about a week of travel, so we had to double back and head west to Celadon, and that makes my entire trip, since I left Pallet on day one, two months.

I think get back to camp and don't answer any questions about Abby's whereabouts. I just respond to everyone, "She'll be back soon." "It isn't a problem, she's fine." "She wants some alone time is all." I just sit down and think about what has happened. _I still don't even remember what exactly happened the day she cursed me… only what Sakura told me. Did I really lose that whole day of memory?…_ I lay back while the others enjoy themselves and let myself think.

Later that night, after dinner and most people are asleep, I am still on the ground, laying on top of my sleeping bag. Most of the pokémon are sleeping too, but I see Markus stir a little and get up. "Going somewhere?" I say, figuring what he's going to do.

He nods. _To… make amends._ Not my choice of words, but I just nod and say, "Go to her, she needs someone."

He nods and thanks me, and goes off into the forest.

Markus jumps through the trees, following the very faint scent left by Abby as she moved through the forest during her heat. _I can still smell it, which means she hasn't been taken yet…_

He continues going through when he comes to a small clearing, with no logs or stumps; it is just simply devoid of trees. The ground is covered in dry leaves, having given their nurturing abilities to the grassy ground beneath it. At the bottom, near a tree, he sees Abby getting approached by an Arcanine. She just puts her back against a tree, yelling at him to get away.

"I don't want you!" She says. "I have someone coming…"

"Sure you do." The Arcanine says, ready to unleash a fire attack on Abby, one that may be to powerful even for her. She cringes when Markus launches a Aura Sphere at the Arcanine and knocks the wind out of him, stopping his attack.

"Markus!" Calls out Abby. He ignores her and turns to the Arcanine.

"Leave, or your life is forfeit." He states, coldly and powerfully.

"You don't know what you're dealing with." Says the Arcanine, and he shoots a fire blast at Markus. He simply places his hand in front of him and uses a Water Pulse to stop the attack and drench the Arcanine, causing him to fall over.

Markus walks over to him and kneels down. "Oh, did I hurt you? Get up and go, before I have to kill you."

He snorts and just gets up and wobbles away, drenched and walking incredibly slowly.

Markus turns to Abby and smiles. "Sorry I took so long. Raizu won't be peeping this time."

Abby ignores what he said. "I… wasn't really waiting for you, I just don't like Arcanine."

Markus' feels his heart stop. "But… I thought…"

"Even though Raizu butted in last time, I know you wouldn't have thought of me… Alexis still exists in your mind…" She turns her head away.

"I… know what I said last time, but that was… it was true. But she may be dead, and I may have to accept that. I love her, but you are here now, and… I just don't know. I have mixed feelings about all of this, and you being in heat isn't helping." Markus just looks down at the ground and kicks up some leaves.

Abby smiles. "I understand." He walk up to him and jump up, landing her paws on his chest and pushing him down. "Down boy." He falls to the ground and she leans back a little bit.

"A bit… oh…" He doesn't get out anything before she starts licking his crotch and releasing more scent from her heat. He moans with pleasure as she keeps going until his rod starts to unearth itself. She moves over him and slides his cock into herself slowly, sending feeling spiraling through her.

Markus begins to thrust a little beneath her, but she doesn't move. "Let's relax a little…" She says. He relaxes and just looks up at her.

"I've wanted this for so long…" He says. She looks down at him and grins a devilish grin.

They both sit there for a few minutes, enjoying the cold brisk air, the darkness surrounding them in the trees, and most of all, the alone time. Markus eventually loses what infinite patience he has to the small amount of lust and starts to thrust, again and again. Abby, not expecting the pleasure, moans loudly as she stays above him. Markus then presses harder and goes all the way in, breaking her small virgin walls and causing a little bleeding. She yells out his name as she orgasms, juice flowing out, thinning out whatever blood was there before. He keeps going, and eventually shoots off into her too.

When they both finish, he comes out of her and let her lay down next to him. They both smile and fall asleep, enjoying their first private night together.

I wake up the next morning, again, before anyone else. I look around and see Abby and Markus on the far side of camp, sitting, Abby lying her head on his thighs and Markus with his back against a tree, asleep. I smile, probably figuring what they did, and update my journal before everyone else wakes up.


	21. Chapter 21

21

21

After I'm finished updating, I walk over to the two lovebirds, who are still sleeping, long after everyone else has awoken. I nudge Markus awake and Markus opens his eyes slowly. _Good morning Raizu._

"Yeah, hi to you too." I say, sounding somewhat annoyed, which has almost become my regular tone of voice lately.

_Is there some reason you are waking us up?_

I step back a little so he can see the camp, which is full of activity right now. Rachamim is telling jokes to a few of the pokémon, and he must have just said the punch line, as he got tackled playfully by Veera. Sakura is, again, making breakfast, and Serena is putting up the tent. "You are up as early as me normally."

He shrugs. _I guess-_, he stops talking. His mouth drops and he stands up, sending Abby flipping over on to the ground.

_What is the big idea?! _She says, not liking his rude awakening.

_Alexis! This is Markus! Hello? _Says Markus, in a tone that sounds like he's yelling in my own head.

I swing my head around. "Alexis?!" I look around, and I notice Veera and Sakura coming up.

"What happened!?" Asks Sakura.

I shrug, when Markus starts yelling again. _Oh my god, it is you! Where are you!?_

I run up to him and start shaking him, and say "God damnit, calm down! What is going on?" I say, impatient with him.

_He's mindspeaking with Alexis I presume. It's like telepathy, but it only works toward the person they want to talk too, like how I talk with you privately, and works for quite a ways. _Answers Veera, looking unusually happy.

I nod and am about to say something, when I am startled by Markus' next comment. _Alexis… there is someone you should meet. My trainer Raizu Kawashima._

Before I can put a word in edgewise, I feel a force hit my mind. Not being equipped with the same mind as Markus, I feel a tidal wave of force hit me. Not physically, but it doesn't stop my legs from buckling and getting a migraine-like pain. I feel a weird voice in my head, and it speaks as to me as clear as my own head would to myself. Yeah.

_Ah, are you Raizu? Oh, you must help Markus to find me! Has he spoken of our relationship?!_ She says, obviously panicking.

_Yes, he has, more or less extensively. And, you may like to know; one of your daughters is with us too. She was my first pokémon, and I saved her life at the risk of my own. _I try not to sound to proud, but knowing I have saved a life seems like an amazing thing, considering what I have been through still.

_Oh, is it Veera!? Can I speak with her? I miss her so…_ As she spoke this time, a saddness found itself inside of me, making me want to cry tears, but both of Joy and Sorrow.

I respond yes and she promptly releases her presence out of my mind, and I assume into Veera's, who responds. They talk together much longer than either Markus or I, and I let her go off on her own to talk.

About 10 or so minutes later, after the first mind speaking incident, I decide to ask Markus a few things. "Alexis… She must be in Celadon." I say, starting conversation.

He sits himself quietly on a log and opposite of me, who is on a stump (more of them, augh). _I… don't know how I can explain my relationship with Abby though. We… mated. We are mates, and I… don't feel bad for betraying Alexis. Oh, what will I do!?_ He says, and nearly starts crying again.

I get up and fiercely slap him across his face. He looks stunned, and slowly turns to me, looking truly hurt. Hurt on the inside, farther than any sword or bullet could reach. "I think she'll understand that you lost all contact with her for a long time and needed to move on. The last thing she would want, I think, is for you to live your life, feeling bad for your actions by comparing them to what you did with her. It isn't exactly my place to say this, but GET OVER YOURSELF." I just get up and walk away slowly, hoping he'll either cry himself out or come to a resolution.

He doesn't do either. _You are right, and I am sorry for how I have acted. It's stupid and immature._ He just gets up and jumps through the trees to camp, still sad apparently, as one of his tear drops lands on my arm as he goes. I just look down and keep walking calmly toward the camp, wondering what could possibly happen to make this day any more odd.

--

Nothing really happens. Markus gets back and talks to Abby, but never a word to me. Veera relates to me that Alexis isn't in any immediate, but is still undergoing the same kind of experiments she had been originally put under, and that it's slowly killing her. This news scares me, and I decide to not tell the others. _We don't want any more regretful thoughts or overreactions with amplified emotions…_

But, later that night, I decide to spend time with Serena. We have been wanting to spend alone time, so we both get our sleeping bags and get a little farther away from camp. Still within sight, but far out of hearing range.

We talk. A lot. Serena hears a bit of my life, and me hers. Her life has been equally cushy when compared to Rachamim's life, but her mother was killed by a murderer. Living in Goldenrod, law enforcement quite high there, caught him and sentenced him to death quite fast. Still, it left an impression on her life, and she hates death. As such, she has vowed to become a doctor, or nurse even, which is why she is so good at medicine, when it comes to either pokémon OR humans.

Eventually, we get around to my journal, and I try to get off the subject. "You know what has happened all this time, it isn't like you weren't ever here."

She shakes her head quickly. "You know I wasn't in that big tower with you silly, or in the building you went up in, with Draxik. I wanna see if you can write anyway, come one!"

I sigh, and get the journal out of my bag. It is a little tattered, but in fine condition anyway. As I sit there, listening to the music in the MP3 player I bought in Cerulean while we were there (better prices than Saffron, and still good quality really), I turn on some music of an unusual genre I like: emotional, aka "Emo." Known to simply be music about "kids cutting themselves," it is commonly dark, but I just appreciate the well written lyrics and overflowing emotion as it washes over me. After a few hours, she closes it and gives me a frightened look.

"What is it?" I say, taking out my ear phones.

"Your memory of these events… your vivid descriptions… scare me Raizu." Her face makes me worried. "You only updated three or four times, and this is that well written?"

I shrug. "Good memory is all it is. Not that big of a deal."

She shakes her head. "After all these dramatic events lately, it should be hard for your brain to recall ANYTHING more than a few days, especially only a few days after it happened."

I shrug again, not seeing why this really matters. I can tell she is getting serious though, as her vocabulary is showing itself for what it really is, but she gives me a darker look. "Only humans with a photographic memory would know this, and those people have near perfect memory for years. You don't have that. Your abnormal strength and reflexes, memory, and even you admit you are mature, yet you are only 13! I think it all means something, and if we don't find out soon, it may lead to dire consequences."

I shrug yet again, and say, "I'm sure we'll find out what is to happen when the time comes."


	22. Chapter 22

22

22

My sleep was heavenly. I was in a soft dream-like state, surrounded by the purest and most cheerful of thoughts. How I may live on with Serena, Sakura fine with her job, and Markus peacefully together with… Abby. Rachamim was nowhere to be found, probably doing amazing on his pokémon journey, and I never thought of Draxik. Maybe he resolved all his problems.

But the dreams are shattered, like a boulder colliding with a stained glass window. A scream penetrates my ears and wakes me instantly. A scream of such agony and volume that I feel like stepping back until I can't hear it. But I don't, because it isn't some person strolling through the woods. It is a friend at camp.

Markus.

I grab my sword and dash toward him, not bothering to wake up Serena or Veera, who must of came over after we were asleep. I run, and I hear another scream. I huddle on the ground, feeling surges of emotion running through me, and realize that while I feel this way, his screaming is verbal, not through telepathy. This gets me up faster and running farther as I unsheath my sword, until I come to a clearing that is a few hundred feet away from the camp.

I find Markus desperately fighting off an arcanine, whom I don't recognize, but from how Markus is fighting it, he seems angry. I hide behind a small tree and peek out the side, katana at the ready for when the arcanine might jump near me.

The clearing is large enough for Markus to perform some serious acrobatics, but small enough for fire attacks to be almost on target at all times. The arcanine is shooting off random fire attacks at Markus as he jumps around, back and fourth through the trees. Arcanine has a few bruises and is bleeding lightly, while Markus has a huge gash across his right side and a slash mark on his left leg. I keep watching when I see Markus jump at the tree I am hiding behind, and stop in front of it. A few drops of blood land on my hand, just where his tear drops landed earlier that day.

"What are you doing here?" Asks Markus, trying to stand up straight, but as the blood leaks down his side, he yelps, and just hunches over in a weak sense. _Wait,_ I think to myself, _Did I just hear him talk and understand him? How is that possible?_

"I have never yet mated, and I shall as soon as possible. You took that chance away from me!" Yells the arcanine, and he shoots a flamethrower at Markus, the horizontal pillar of flame raging at him, and unfortunately, I as well.

Markus jumps out of the way with ease, but I jump down just in time to evade being engulfed in the flame.

I look up and see that the arcanine has noticed me. "Well, a human. With a stupid sword. Toasting you will be fun." I don't let on that I hear him, but I know what is about to happen. I'm about to get hit full on by a fire blast.

He is about 20 feet away. I can't hope to dodge in time for the fire blast to not touch me, yet I can't charge him either. I just have to get hit. As I stare at him, I feel like life is slowing down. I watch the fire shoot out at me, it taking its cross like shape with the bottom split down the middle. I watch it as it flies at me and I just put the sword forward, ready to die in a dignified stance, when something happens that I won't ever forget.

Markus jumps in the way.

Time stops more than long enough for me to realize what happened. I slowly watch as the flame covers him and hits him dead on, but also something else. Something about this flame is tangent, as it flings its "limbs" over him, attempting to hit his back, but hit me dead on.

We go flying back into a huge tree, and land on the wet muddy ground, burns covering me. I push myself over to the side and try to sit up and look at Markus. I gasp.

His body is… disturbing, and hard to describe. The fire made gashes everywhere on his body. Waist, side, part of his face, neck, legs, everywhere. But, there is no blood, just the images of red hot flesh seemingly painted on his skin, cauterized by the heat.

His face is disturbing. Its almost like he isn't the same pokémon I once knew. I don't even see the right half of it, his eye is even burnt shut. I have to keep myself from looking away, but I keep looking, and feel like crying. _Markus… no…_

"Raizu," he says. He talks, but his mouth is hardly moving.

I kneel down next to him and look at him with overwhelmingly sad eyes. "Don't talk. I'll get you out of here."

"Can… you understand me? Oh good." He coughs, blood splattering on the ground. "Please, tell Alexis… I'm sorry I couldn't see her one last time."

This was all too sudden, and I wasn't sure what to do. I decided that trying to reassure him was the best thing to do. "No, you are getting up and seeing her again. Abby too." I try to pick him up, but he's too heavy, the dense fur being laced with steel, which is what makes him part steel. And too heavy to move.

"I wish I could… believe… that…" He slowly closes his eye and stops any movement. I try to pick him up again, and I find it easier now. I press two fingers against a part of his neck that wasn't burned, and feel around a bit.

The pulse is gone.

I just sit there for what feels like a century. Markus is gone? It can't be. I look at his body, horribly disfigured and seemingly melted, I shudder. A moist feeling reaches my face and I bring my hand to it, and wipe off the salty stream of water falling out of my eyes. _Tears…_

"Is this the first time a friend has died in battle?" Says the arcanine, at me I assume. I look at him, crying, probably looking pitiful.

"You are so worthless. Are you really a trainer? You care too much about your pokémon."

My tears stop.

"You think its possible to go on this grand and wondrous journey with all of your pokémon when you cry over the loss of one?"

My heart starts to pound hard and fast. My ribs already feel broken, yet I feel no pain.

"Humans think of pokémon as tools. We battle, are defeated, and shoved into a fuck small ball that is meant to protect us."

My hands start to shake, but I can't tell why. My sword feels lighter than before.

"Humans are the enemy to nature, because they just take things, and make them their own, disregarding what they were meant to be. They look at how they are meant for HUMANS, and nothing else!"

My gaze drifts away from the arcanine, and back at Markus. Less than a minute, and the dark, cold muddy ground has already sucked away the heat from his body. I grip the sword harder, it feeling as light as a feather now. I stand up and glance at the arcanine. My eyes beam a look of… anger… at the arcanine. He actually stumbles back and looks at me, but regains his composure instantly.

"This is rich. Are you gonna fight me? A human can't possibly fight a poké-" He stops talking instantly. I don't realize what I did until after it happened. I blink.

I find myself at the arcanine's mouth, my sword shoved straight through its head, and blood gushing out its mouth. I draw my arm and sword out of it, and it falls over, slowly but surely, with a resounding thud.

I look at my arm and sword, both soaked in blood, the crimson liquid seemingly slathered on me like a batter over chicken ready to be fried. I grin, an evil grin. One I hope to never smile again.

I turn back and look at Markus, who is still on the ground. I walk over to him calmly and drop the sword on the muddy forest floor, the blood slowly crawling off of it into the mud. I kneel down over him and just cry, letting out all the water my eyes have to give. _I'm still not angry. I had… a spark of irritation… when I killed arcanine… but now I am simply sad._

It starts to rain. Even as the water pelts my back and Markus, I can still see my tears on his body, running off of him on to the ground.

I hear some running foot steps and turn around to find Draxik behind me. "What is it!?" I scream.

He looks at the arcanine, then at the sword and my arm, and finally at me. He squints, and gasps. "We need to talk."

I give him an amazed look, disturbed at how insensitive he is being. "My… best friend… just died in front of my eyes, I've murdered someone, and haven't even washed the blood off of me yet. I'm burned on my back, and my sword is soaked in blood and sticking out of the ground… and you have to TALK!?" I keep my voice a plain tone, not sounding angry or sad, but normal.

He nods.

--

He practically rips me away from Markus, who is still laying on the mud, that now even worse than before, as he slowly sinks into it. I know he won't sink all the way in, but I want to leave him somewhere decent. I don't want to remember his body in it's best condition… not slathered in mud and gore.

But Draxik is too strong. No matter how much I struggle, he doesn't release his hold on me. He sets me down on a log that is behind too many trees for me to see Markus, and stands in front of me.

I give him a combination of a hurt look and an angry gaze, when I realize that tears are still streaking down my face, even in this rain. "Why are you doing this to me!?" I yell.

"Don't raise your voice." He slaps me. It didn't hurt, but it got my attention. I look up at him, and watch as the rain soaks his hair and clothes slowly. The midnight blue color of his kimono soaks up the rain, looking almost a pure black, as space looks. "You need to know… about my family's curse. And how you are tied into it."

I raise an eyebrow. _I honestly completely forgot he was cursed._ "Why does it involve me?"

"Just shut up for a second and think. Have you seen me get very emotional around you guys?"

I think for a second, and realize he hasn't. He's seemed concerned, but never truly seemed to care until he started coming with us. I tell him such.

"This is because of my curses nature. When I picked up… your soul… in the tower, my curse joined with you, and now you and I have the same problem."

I simply raise my eyebrow at him, still not sure what is going on. "What is the curse?"

"It isn't like the ninetails curse, which is more of a disease. Ours has its own checks and balances. Whenever you feel an intense emotion, your abilities increase greatly. If your sad, you think on a higher level. If your angry, you gain strength. If your happy, you just have better reaction time in general, etc.. This is why I keep my emotions in check. Obviously, you haven't done such."

I look at him with an odd look and tilt my head, the tragedy that happened mere minutes ago almost out of my head. "Why is this bad?"

"The more often you unleash… these powers, you destroy yourself even more. The curse has been in my family for generations, as it was given to us long ago, when a man in our family, an evil man, defeated a gengar in battle, wielding a sword alone. When it died, instead of letting its soul go on, he captured it in this sword." He shows his scabbard.

"When he did this, the gengar must not have died completely, as it gave the sword power, and cursed the man. His was the same as us, and he carried the sword around everywhere. And it was discovered that he… started two different families… one via a marriage and the other via rape. It was cruel, but the people in the family of the marriage all have the curse, and are doomed to pass it on every generation. Until all of the family of the Raped have been killed. And don't misunderstand this; HE was raped by a woman, seduced. THAT family is actually the founder of Team Rocket. I am on this trip to discover… as it isn't told to us the last name of the family that founded Team Rocket… who the family is, and destroy all of its members, and then… we won't be suffering anymore."

"When that happens, the gengar will be release from the sword, and become the partner of whoever releases him, and dies with him. I suppose now YOU will have to keep yourself in check, until one of us finds him, for as soon as my family is… relieved of the curse… I'm sure you will too."

I don't seem as fazed as I figured I would be, discovering I'm killing myself going on these weird trances, and how the history for this is so deep, but I do know that I need to keep myself in check. I get up and simply ask, "Okay, I understand the situation. But I must pour myself out one last time. For Markus' sake."

He smiles. "You needn't worry, as saddness hardly has adverse affects, where as anger can be deadly in of itself." He walks back toward camp, but I stop him. "Yes?"

"No one else is up… just I. Why?"

"Those screams… were indeed verbal, but to him, they were just drawn out yelps. It got to you because of an extreme mental connection after talking with Alexis. It is because of her that you got to see him before he died."

I nod, and feel like crying again. _Or maybe I got him killed._ I just run at full speed to Markus.

--

I slowly pick up Markus, his body cleaned off by the rain, the gashes that are darkened by the heat, and the mud cleaned off completely. As I walk back to camp, the rain soaking me and battering Markus' body, I cry. I cry an endless river of tears that could fill an ocean. I cry water that would flood this landscape alone if it wasn't raining. I just let myself cry, completely torn apart at the loss of a friend, and not sure how to handle it. _I've never had to lose so much. I don't know what to do… how can I be more mature than I act and claim, if I don't know how to grieve over the loss of a friend?_

I walk, his body not feeling any lighter than my sword, and carry him, supporting his back with both arms in front of me. I just look down at him. Beneath the burnt and scarred tissue, something about his face… seems serene. It only makes me cry harder.

I walk to my tent, and lay him on my sleeping bag. I pick that up along with him and carry him outside and place him on the ground and just kneel down next to him. _What do I do? Bury him? Just let him sit here for everyone else to see?_ I just stare at him, and look at Serena's tent, as I hear her stirring. _She's up early…_

In a few minutes, she comes out. When she sees Markus, she screams. "OH God! What happened!? Raizu! Who did this?"

"He's already gone… and Markus is… too." The tears start to flow more, having almost stopped as I had sad next to his body. "Please tell me what do to." I jump to my feet and run to her and hug her, now bawling even more. "WHAT DO I DO!?"


	23. Chapter 23

23

23

The news hits everyone hard. Everyone in our group knew him, even some of the pokémon. Sakura and Rachamim were friends with him, and while Serena hadn't talked with him much, seeing a dead pokémon was enough to make her break down. Veera and Abby were hit probably harder than I. Veera, still not fully grown, weeped with Abby, as if she were her mother. They both cried.

A full day after his death, I decided that I want to give Markus a proper burial, in the proper place. As sick as it was, I kept Markus in the pokéball as I went back to Lavender. All the way back with just Veera at my side. The others headed to Celadon to wait for our return. I asked Abby to come, but she refused. Each night we slept, Veera would look at the pokéball, wanting to see her Father. I shake my head. She doesn't cry, she simply understands.

We get to pokémon tower after about two weeks, and make the arrangements. We head up to the top tower, the pokémon not attacking because of the sense of sorrow we put out, and the dead pokémon. At the top floor, a floor tile is removed, revealing dirt, as most of the floors are large, and covered with dirt, trying to simulate a read burial.

I paid a lot. A whole fucking lot. Markus is going to get the best funeral he could possibly have, without all the family and friends.

Well, he had one of each of those at least.

He was lowered in the next day, the amount of money I played was extravagant and overwhelming. He got all honors and was put in quickly. I actually stayed for part of the funeral. There was no speech, there was hardly anyone obviously, anyway. A few people who mourned at the tower came, simply because it was a sad occasion. A few asked me what happened, and I painfully said he was murdered by a wild pokémon, and upon hearing the reply, more than one cried openly, feeling sorry for what happened. _As if it mattered what they could do._

Afterwards, I spend the day, and night their with Veera, thinking, and feeling sad without crying. I lie awake near the tombstone, seeing ghost pokémon crowd around us in sorrow, and me, letting the fact that I have to take down an evil organization with one less friend sink in, when he probably wanted a shot at them more than I ever did. _How will Alexis take this? It's almost my fault he died. Will I tell her right out? Do I try to let her figure it out… Do I forget her entirely?_

_No. No, no, no. Markus would never forgive me if I did that. Besides, I need to help all the pokémon in this program. If I rescue Alexis, she'll probably know where the rest are._

That night, Veera doesn't say a word. People leave, and I sleep on the ground after a few restless hours of thought. I simply wake up the next morning with Veera up, politely asking that we leave immediately.

"What's up?" I ask.

_I want to leave this place. Now._

"Why Veera? You may never get to… see your father again."

_Please, can we just go!?_

I nod. I suppose she may be in enough pain. "All right. Let's go. I'm sure the others miss us."

She simply nods and we both head out, I not dare returning her to her pokéball, knowing she may need some friendly reassurance at any time. We wave to the receptionist, one of those who cried while we were there, and we continue walking toward the western exit of town.

Nothing happens.

_We… got out of this place safely!? _I think, completely confused. _I finally have done something that takes an extended amount of time in one place, and not so much a zigzagoon or rattata crossing my path?_

I shake my head at such an idiotic thought. No one wants to be interrupted in a time of sorrow, and thinking as such was the thought of one who may not feel they've suffered enough. I have no time for self pity.

_No! Even that was a bad thought. I should feel bad, if at least for a little while._ Knowing I can't possibly put a clock on how sorry I feel for myself, I just keep walking, letting my head travel from thought to thought freely.

Veera kept popping up. No matter how much I avoid thinking about it, Veera remains a subject on my mind. How she would absent mindedly ask about his pokéball, and how we left the tower hastily. I stop both of us at a clearing (more of 'em) and take a seat on a log. "Veera."

She simply tilts her head at me. She cried at camp, but not since then.

"What did you think of your father?"

_Excuse me?_ She says, as if baffled.

"Do you truly appreciate what he did for me?"

_Of course I do Raizu. Don't ask me such a question._

"Do you think it was my fault?" I ask bluntly and unexpectedly.

She stops and gives me a blank look, and it slowly turns into an angry look. _There is none at fault except that cursed arcanine, and he got what he had coming._

"Are you sure?" I say, wanting her to think a bit. I know she doesn't fully understand or know her father, and I want her to. Even if it means she'll hate me for a while. "I, after all, dashed up and basically got in the way. He knows water pulse, he could easily have beaten that arcanine."

_I… I can't find myself to blame you Raizu. You are my closest friend… I almost love you as a father. You helped me when we first met, remember? Oh no, this isn't the place-_

"It's fine." I say. "I won't forget it either. I was busy in the forest looking for berries…"

_… While I had escaped from Oak's pen. A bunch of spearow attacked me, and a fearow led the flock…_

"… And when I saw what was happening, I dashed out in front and fiercely snapped the fearow's neck. It was so startled that it didn't notice me, and the rest of the spearow were scared off. If I hadn't showed up…"

_… I wouldn't be alive, and every night, I remind myself of that moment. My feeling of pure fear and my life, which had not gone anywhere yet. As Markus… no, Dad told you, my first memories were Alexis and I being ripped from each other. She was crying loudly and struggling, the drugs also affecting her psychic powers. I hardly knew what was happening, but I knew I was leaving my mom. _A tear drops from her eye. _I never knew my father, and I doubted I ever would. I had almost forgotten his existence completely. Then when he was introduced to us, I didn't feel a connection. They say a person can always feel like they know their dad. I couldn't have disagreed more._

A tear almost comes to my eyes. I wipe them quickly and blink a few times. "Veera…"

_When we talked after his running off, I accepted it calmly, while he exploded with emotion. I wasn't sure what it was like to have a father, so I didn't know how to react. But I was happy that he was, and maybe he confused that. But… after his death… I'm feeling all weird inside._

I sniffle a little, and let her continue. _It's as if something inside my head has clicked on, and I know him more. Like, all of our experiences together, even simply traveling, and seeing him before I fell, seem to have a meaning now. I wasn't just seeing a person. I was seeing… my dad. _When she stops, she starts crying heavily on my lap, jumping into me. I pet her head softly and mumble comfort to her, but am still not sure what to say. _I hardly have a dad of my own._

We don't leave that spot. In fact, we go back to Lavender after a little while. When we arrive, the receptionist gives us a curious look, but I ignore her. We hurry up to the top floor, the pokémon ignoring us, but giving us equally odd looks. When we reach the top, I stand near the stairs as Veera bolts over to Markus's grave as she talks aloud to him. She says a lot of things, and most of them I don't understand. _Have I forgotten how to understand pokémon now? Or do I need a deeper connection? Is it true that a trainer can simply understand a pokémon by being the most valued friends of them?…_

The whole time she cries. I catch a few apologies, as if I am hearing a language I am learning, but the native speaker is talking too fast. Her sorrow is overwhelming. I can feel the negative energy as if it was a shockwave, assuming the curse has something to do with it. I see her cry and just sit over him, mumbling how sorry she is for not appreciating him. How sorry she is for not realizing how much she meant to him. How much she meant to anyone.

After she's done, I walk up to her, and she gives me a helpless look, her tears streaming down her white furred face, her wings tucked in and hunched over. _What should I do?_

I think for a few seconds, and just sit down next to her. "First, we will leave tomorrow. Markus would appreciate one more night with you. Second, we take some action. Rocket will have what's coming to them, for the wrongs they have done, and the curse that even plagues Draxik's family. We'll stop them, so no one has to suffer from evil hands." I smile, and she smiles back at me too.


	24. Chapter 24

24

24

We leave the next day, both of us sleeping in. As we leave, I notice that ghost pokémon are smiling and being cheerful, as if the mood had changed suddenly. _Did mine and Veera's mood change that much by just talking?…_

I ignore it and concentrate on our leaving. After getting supplies, we start the long trek back to Celadon. Technically, I never entered the city, but I lead our group to the gates, and I left from there. Veera and I talk a lot more now, I asking about how she felt about the whole trip, the fact she could talk to me after she evolved never having sunk in until now. Nothing is really revealed to me. The Spriteon evolution was as foreign to her as to us, and she did indeed wish she had been cursed and not me.

Again, it takes two weeks to get back, but we make it. I stupidly forgot to get anyone's pokétech number or cell number, so I can't find where anyone would be, so we enter Celadon. I'm used to big cities by now, but this one isn't as big as Saffron. The buildings aren't as ordered either, but the large Celadon Store stands at the West side of town, a building that is almost 10 stories tall, JUST for buying stuff. I looked up in awe when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I have on my normal black Lucario shirt, and a black sash I found in my bag one morning (Thank you Draxik) around my waist to secure my sword. It looks odd with my clothes, so I guess that the person knows me.

I turn and am startled to see The Man with Dark Ambitions, whos name I shall now refer to as Dark Ambition. "Hello you." He says playfully.

I bat his hand away. "What do you want?" I place one hand around my sword's hilt.

"I am not dumb enough to pick a fight in the middle of public." He says indignantly.

I think for a split second and realize something. "You killed the president of Silph Co. and his wife and you are totally free?"

He takes his hand out of his night-black robe and I jump. He has on an akward looking hand to say the least. Dark red, almost maroon, it is a glove that he has on over his hand, and each finger point a distinct claw. It looks like a soft and comfortable cloth was used in their making. He admires it for a few seconds and says, "I have ways of getting around."

"You got down a building that would have been near swarming with guards and eventually police officers, when Draxik and Markus were in the same room?" I say, trying to sound stuck up in a joking manner.

He nods, with a stupid grin on his face.

I facepalm. "Augh, what is it then? If you don't want to fight me, and Veera is safe under my sash here…" I click the sword out of its sheath.

"Now now, don't get all huffy. Can't I just say hi? Oh, and you may want to look around the outskirts of town. You may find something that suprises you." He then turns around and waves me off. I hit my sword back in, think, and decide that if it was a trap, he wouldn't do it close to the city. I head off to the outskirts, which technically are not outside the city limits.

--

The outskirts are marked by a fence. Anyone can just climb over it, but a rest house rests on the fence, so people know where to enter. The outskirts are just inside the fence, and have a few dirty, broken down houses here and there, most of the alleys in-between houses leading to dead ends. Down one of them, I actually found a rare candy. _Abby might need some cheering up, I'll save it for her._

The fence is actually woven between the trees, so I just stay near the houses. It's a short wooden fence that doesn't impede anyone's progress going over it, but hidden cameras are used around them to keep criminals and such under watch, so if they cross it, people know where they crossed. _Wow, I must be in some weird mood, rambling to myself…_

After several minutes, I don't find anyone or anything, and am about to give up when I hear a whimper. I figure its some hurt pokémon or something, and walk calmly into the trees and peek around until I find something. I find Rachamim with a weird dog pokémon.

Its fur is white, but not like a pale white. Like stone. It reflects light well, as it appears to be shining when direct sunlight hits it. Its tail is simple and short, and looks kind of sharp, similar to a glaceon.

"Okay Quartzeon," Says Rachamim. "You may not be Markus, but she can't make a Den in her state. I guess we know why pokémon populate the land so fast, practically not gestation period. So, while she's caring for Shimmer, you need to make a den for her and protect her while she's still weak, okay?" He said, almost acting like a teacher to his pokémon, apparently called Quartzeon, which appears to be ANOTHER eevee evolution. His quartzeon nodded a few times quickly and used a dig attack, apparently not going to deep, as I saw a cartoon style hump of dirt move in some direction away from Rachamim.

I show myself and take a few steps forward. "Hey you."

He jumps up as if to the attention of a sergeant. "OH MY GOD Raizu! Your back! Do you know how worried we've been!?"

I raise an eyebrow at him. _Remember, be nice. You aren't the somewhat arrogant ass you made yourself to be ever so long ago. _"You guys don't have to worry anymore, now do you? Veera and I went there, and came back, 2 weeks trip back and fourth, with no interference."

He nods. "Well, it may help you to know that Abby…"

"Gave birth?" I say, knowing it wasn't actually a question.

He nods again, not responding with some clever rebuttal or pun, as I would have expected. "Yes, that too…"

Before he finishes the sentence, the worst possibility comes to my mind. Dark Ambition gave a warning, and had been looking at his clawed glove. "Is she okay!?" I meant this, but I half expected him to be an ass about it.

"… She's hurt, but she will recover. She refuses to be taken to a center, because she did gave birth recently. The vulpix is a girl, and she is named Shimmer. She's quite cute." He finishes with a happy note, and smiles.

"How did she get hurt!?" I ask, feeling worried still.

His smile fades and his tone turns somewhat dark. "Well, she said some Rocket member hurt her, but I wouldn't know. The ambush they set up is in some old warehouse that isn't used anymore, near the department store. Why they would send someone to attack is something I wouldn't know." He shrugs at the end.

I leave him, and run in the direction that Quartzeon left. The trail is easy to follow, and I actually trip over it once. When I hit the ground, for some reason, Veera decides to come out of her pokéball. _Your in a rush. I'm out here for you, I don't feel it's 100 safe out here._

I get up and don't nod, but acknowledge her help. We go on for a few seconds and come to a clearing. With no logs or stumps (amazingly…). At one side, I see Abby lying on the ground, and Quartzeon playing with a vulpix, who apparently is Shimmer. She looks like a normal vulpix, but she has an odd facial feature… a black stripe, that looks like a band, over her eyes that goes all around her head.

Like a Lucario.

A tear falls from my eye, and I look at Abby, who hasn't noticed me yet. She has some bandages around her chest, and dried blood can be seen through them, but she doesn't look like she's sick or even in any pain. But she looks too tired to get up. I walk over to her and she turns her head to me, smiling and looking happy. "Oh Raizu, your back…"

I stop. _I understood her too… What is wrong with me?_

I just tilt my head at her, as if confused, hoping to hide the fact from Veera that I know what she can say. Veera just looks at Abby and then goes off to play with Shimmer and Quartzeon. _Oh, silly me…_ Thinks Abby. _I should know better. I haven't spoken to anyone in a while, I was too used to only talking to other pokémon._

I nod, glad I don't have to reveal I could understand her. "Its no problem. So… your daughter is named Shimmer?"

She nods. _She's beautiful isn't she… Oh…_

I just agree with her. "She is. She looks like…" I stop myself, knowing saying that would hurt her as much as me.

_Raizu… I miss Markus. He never even got to see his daughter…_

"I know Abby."

_After you left, I felt horrible for a while. Like I was incomplete. I was alone, and no one here understood me. I didn't go with you because I wanted to go easy for a while. I couldn't make the trip well if I had our daughter growing inside of me, so I stayed. I weeped every night, and felt a huge pain in my chest._

"Abby…" I say, unsure of how to act. _Everyone has been pouring themselves out to me lately… Am I the right person for them to do this to?_

_Then, two weeks ago last night, I stopped crying. I wanted to, but couldn't. Then I realized that I felt less sad. Almost like my mind had yelled at my heart to get over it. The memories are preserved, as if in a museum of priceless works, but remembering them doesn't make me cry. They make me happy. Happy I could ever know such a man… Happy that he was laid to rest in the right place._

I sniffle a little bit, and then decide to change subject. "Abby. Who did that too you?" I ask firmly, pointing at the bandages around her chest.

_A man with a dark robe said he wanted to meet me, knowing somehow that I was who cursed you. He then raked me across the chest with his clawed glove. I'm fine now, but then, I was scared for my life… Oh, and I saw his face._

I hadn't seen it yet, but I couldn't figure out why that mattered. He always hid his head from me under his hood. "What?…"

_He looked exactly like you, only with shorter, and ruby red hair. If I hadn't known better, I'd say he WAS you._


	25. Chapter 25

25

25

We all camp on the out skirts, near, but not within sight of Abby. Quartzeon built a small den, digging a little and bringing materials for a makeshift roof, and they both finish it. Abby thanked him, and sent him off. Everyone came back to where Rachamim said camp was, as apparently, they planned to meet here until Abby could leave. Everyone being Serena and Draxik. Sakura had to leave on urgent ranger business, as an earthquake had struck near Pewter, and things weren't very well there. She had left a week earlier.

The next morning, I awaken first, and walk over to where Abby had the den built. Traditionally, the male in the couple is supposed to make a den, but since Markus was gone… she was happy to have anyone do it. I look at the small thing, almost like a make-shift tent. A small ditch-like hole is dug into the ground, and dried mud with sticks, leaves and other things make up the little roof. I walk up to its side and hear a sleight whimpering. I kneel down and peak inside and fall backwards in surprise, and fear.

Shimmer is lying down and whimpering next to Abby, who is lying on her side on the floor, with three red stripes sliced through her abdomen, blood leaking slowly on to the poor make-shift floor, almost soaking Shimmer's abdomen and chest completely. I reach in to pick her up, and Shimmer runs up and rubs her head against my side, crying. Then, I hear a sound from behind me, the sound of a pokémon being released from it's pokéball. And not from my belt.

I get out quickly and turn to face the one who released the pokémon, and find a normal dress Team Rocket member. He has a black cap, black T-shirt with a white, long sleeved undershirt, and black pants with black boots. The front of the shirt has a big, red "R" on it, representing Rocket. In front of him is an Arbok. I, feeling bad for having to leave Abby in the state she is in, dead or alive, release Veera and get ready for a fight.

"Now now, we don't want a fight, I'm here to bring you to my boss." Says the man, showing me his palms, as if to mean peace.

"Forgive me if I don't fucking believe you when a friend of mine is deathly hurt. Veera! Wing Attack!" I called out. With a furiously look in her face, she leaps forward, and before Arbok can even react, Veera's wing hits it straight on in the head, nothing held back. It goes flying backwards more than 30 feet, its head slamming into a tree, and going unconscious. Veera then hits the Rocket member with her other wing, but he gets his arms up to his head before he gets hit, and is knocked out cold, but not injured too badly.

"Abby, ABBY!" I yell into her den. "Don't worry, I'm getting you out. I'll get you to a pokécenter quick enough."

I pull her out, feeling more strength than I normally would again, and an odd feeling of anger. _No, not again. How long will I do this before I start to feel some side effects?_

She is breathing slowly and softly, and she whimpers as I pull her out. _Raizu… Shimmer… she just woke up, she can't follow you if you run._

I nod, and show Abby an empty pokéball. She nods, and losses consciousness. I show Shimmer the pokéball, and bring it down to her height. "Please… just press your nose up against the button. You'll be safe, and you can see your mommy later."

She looks at it curiously, and looks at the button at its equator instantly. _Must have recognized the word button…_ I think, as she slowly approached it, and pressed her nose against it. The pokéball opens and she is rushed inside the familiar red flash of light. The button glows red once, and shakes a little, but then stops. I sigh, and put the ball on my belt. "Veera, we go now. Could you fly me to the pokémon center? That would be faster."

_I would need to know the move Fly, and I don't. I'm sorry, you'll have to run there. I'll fly ahead though and get help outside. I can privately speak with anyone you know._

I nod and say, "All right, hurry hurry go go!" I start to run, and Veera darts off into the sky in an instant. I hold Abby in my arms, almost as I did Markus when bringing him back to camp when he died. I run and dart through the woods, wishing I had more pokémon, so I could send one of them to wake the others. _I must be some kind of trainer…_

I keep running, for about four or five minutes, when a gust of wind blocks my movement. I keep running on the slick grass, but don't go forward. I stop eventually and am pushed back into a tree. I hear an odd sound, and realize that I am soaked with Abby's blood, down my entire front side. _Oh god… _I think, when I hear the ruffling of a robe.

I look up and see a familiar descending figure. Dark Ambition. He floats on down from the sky as if on wires, and creates a wind beneath his feet, as if a movie was making special effects for him. He looks different though. The entire right side of his robe is burnt to ashes, and shows his body, a black training kimono apparently under his clothes, and a sword sheath on the back of his waist. His face cannot be seen. The hood is gone as well, all of it, but…

A mask covers his face. A white mask with an insane look on it, a few facial features painted red on it. His sword is unsheathed in his right hand, and it is enormous. It isn't just some long katana-like sword that Draxik has, but it doesn't fit its sheath. It is large and bulky at the tip, almost like an axe or javelin head, and the rest is narrow and thin, but looks just as sharp and dangerous.

After taking all of this in, I realize he is FLOATING down. _He can fly? Does he have some kind of super power or something?_

"Hehehehehe… Your Abby did a number on me before I could get a clear shot on her. I hear though, that she wasn't in the clearing and taken by wild animals. It appears her little Shimmer protected her through the night. A brave little pokémon." He said, his voice sounding like 3 altogether, each one echoing the other. None of the three were his original voice either.

"So… you did do this to Abby didn't you?" I say, anger overwhelming me, and I let it. _If I want to have some kind of chance, I'll have to be strong. Whether or not I live._

I place her down onto a smooth, cool rock as Dark Ambition responds. "Of course. I knew if I hurt her, you would leave in a rush to get away, and that placing an obviously meaningless grunt would enrage you and send off Veera."

I look at him with pure anger when something catches my attention at ground level, in front of me, yet still behind Dark Ambition. I try not to look, and let my peripheral vision notice how Draxik had snuck up behind him. He shows my sword, and gets ready to throw it, probably waiting for me to do anything.

"So, what do you want?" I say to Dark Ambition.

"You to die of course. You think that'll change so fast?" He says smugly.

"I would. It has been a while before yesterday, and you don't seem to want to attack me directly." I edge forward a little.

Dark Ambition hardly even notices. "What are you going to do, jump at me? You can't harm me, you don't know how."

I don't pick up on any possible meaning behind that sentence, and just find it to be an arrogant statement. I do jump at him, with one arm out stretched. He flies out of the way quickly, and I find my sword tossed, sheathed still, into my outward hand. I unsheath it quickly and swing it up to block the down-coming slash from Dark Ambition. He is startled, and I strain my body to turn over and land on my feet. _I am SO glad I am a morning person._ I think as I land swiftly on my feet. Draxik comes out too. He takes his sword out promptly and takes a fighting stance, the sword pointing diagonally up ward from his waist, and my stance, where I hold the hilt near my head, and the rest of the sword pointing forward, and a little bit downward, toward my opponent.

Dark Ambition lands, looks at us surprised, and laughs. "Oh, this'll be fun." He runs forward, quickly, his sword behind him, ready to slash from any side or angle. _Great._

I react, but not nearly as fast as Draxik, as his sword already meets Dark Ambition's before I move. Which is good, as it lets me get in a clear strike. I duck and dash at Dark's side and slash out at him, but he twists his sword so that it stops Draxik's still, and hits mine away effortlessly.

"You two think you can stop me?!" He yells. He pushes forward and knocks us both down. He jumps forward, and Draxik swings upward to hit Dark's sword, and his self, away over my head. I get up quickly, jumping from lying down to my feet, then turn around and look at Draxik, who's sword is now glowing black, tinted burgundy. His face shows apparent anger, and starts to look white, as a similar mask falls over his face, looking like Dark Ambitions, but only covering half. But the energy resonating from his sword is so large and engulfing, it looks as to be coming from his body. His voice also is now seeming to be more than one voice as he speaks.

"So… YOU are of the other cursed family!" Yells Draxik. "You're gonna die here!" He charges forward, and brings down his sword on Dark Ambition. He swings his flat side up and blocks Draxik, while stopping the movement with his other hand. Draxik jumps up and double jumps, and shoves one palm forward. "SHADOW BALL!" He screams, the sound echoing through the air and hitting my ears several times. The huge ball of black energy shoots out at Dark Ambition, and rushes at him.

He brings up his hand as well and calls out, "LIGHT SCREEN!" To block the attack, making it explode over him. While it causes no damage, it looks like that after the smoke clears, he got shoved into the ground several feet, the screen protecting him. He jumps up and puts a palm forward again, yelling, "FLAMETHROWER!" As such an attack shoots from his palm, a pillar of flame racing toward Draxik.

He brings down his sword to cut the pillar as he falls down, and then makes another midair jump and comes above Dark's head. "SHADOW CLAW!" He yells out, and swings his sword. A huge wave of dark energy slices downward, the wave hitting farther than I can make out through the forest. It hits Dark Ambition head on, and sends him reeling to the ground. I can't see through the smoke, but don't like the position I am in. I walk backwards quickly, urgently wanting to get out with Abby. _She's bleeding, and slowly dying, if not gone already…_

As I am about to reach a tree, the smoke clears in one small area as Dark Ambition jumps at me, flying straight across the ground as if hovering. His sword is pointing at me for a stab. I take my stance and quickly, just before he reaches me, swing the sword around my body, as if wrapping myself in some kind of roll of paper, and hit his attack away, and keep spinning, intending to land a direct hit on Dark Ambition. I find though that he continued to fly off in the direction I hit him away in. He lands on the ground, sliding on the muddy forest floor several feet, before running toward me. I stand my ground, and lean back a little, putting more weight on my right leg and less on my left, so that one goes forward and lower.

He reaches me, and swings out at me, and I bring my sword to his swiftly. We exchange clashes for what seems like an hour, but may be only several seconds. I can't get to him, and am barely evading getting cut down. _Where are you Draxik!?_

We keep fighting, and my anger seems to subside, as if it tires as much as I. Sweat starts to fall down my cheeks, and I can feel it getting harder to block Dark Ambition's strikes. He can feel this, and lets up, in order to talk. "So. You had enough?"

"Why are you talking to me!?" I yell, and swing at him, but before I touch him, I find his sword in my side. He slashed out at me, and cut a straight cut a few inches deep. I yell out and fall down. "Why do you want me dead? We both have the same father don't we!?"

"So, that easy to figure out? Yes, we do, but I don't want YOU to get your grubby little hands on Team Rocket. An idiot like you wouldn't be useful for anything." He looked at me with a sneer, and brings up his sword, ready to execute me.

_NOT NOW! _I scream in my own head, and put one palm forward. As I do, a burst of energy shoots forward. Electrical energy. The attack seemed to be some kind of thunderbolt, and I wasn't sure how I did it. But, it hit Dark Ambition full on. He falls to his knees, trying to move his body with his own will, but his muscles are locked tight.

I get up slowly, placing my free hand over the wound, and walk to him slowly. "If you want to kill me, kill ME. Don't attack my friends." I turn around and got to Abby, intending to get her to the pokémon center still, and not wanting to finish off Dark Ambition.

As I approach the end of the clearing, I see Serena, Rachamim, and Draxik come out of the woods. _He went to get help._ He looks at Dark Ambition and dashes over to him, and I turn back to Abby before I see what happens. Abby had started to bleed a lot less, and she wasn't as warm as she had been when holding her earlier. She felt like she had normal body temperature of a human, and for a fire pokémon, that was deathly bad. I try to summon up the anger in my body again, intending to use its strength to get me to the pokémon center. I think of my Father, how he left me. I think of how I was shunned by everyone when I was small, that being a source of all my seemingly uninspired arrogance. I think of how Markus died to someone who wanted a tiny bit of pay back from some stupid wild pokémon.

I think of what may happen to Abby if I don't get her to safety in time.

I feel the energy pump through me again, and I dash. I make huge jumps, clearing 30 feet almost with each one, and come to the city in mere seconds. As I run toward the eastern side of town where the center is, I find a Nurse Joy running about, and two officers, along with Veera hovering over them with her wings. Joy sees me first, and dashes over, bringing a portable hospital bed and officers with her. I place Abby on the bed quickly and softly, and the three dart off without regards for me. Veera comes up to me and cries out, _Raizu… What happened?!_

I feel a shock of pain rise through me, from the wound, but all through my body. I feel the black pain, as it shoots up and into every cell that makes my body, and it says I am going to feel pure, concentrated, horror. I scream, so loud that I cease to hear it after a full second, and am pretty sure it lasts for longer than that. I fall to the ground, but manage to get one thought out as I lose consciousness. _A bad trainer happened Veera._


	26. Chapter 26

26

26

I awaken with a start on the hospital bed. _No dreams this time I guess…_ I think, as I look around the little room. It is dark and hard to see anything, but I can see someone is sleeping on a chair on the opposite side of the room from me. I smile, glad someone stayed with me, however long I was here. I let myself fall asleep, still tired and now aching.

--

I awake in the morning slowly. The white room glistens with light from the sun pouring through the window, and makes everything seem mystical. I sit up and look forward and find Draxik sitting on a chair, wide awake and looking at me.

"So, your up." He says, with a dark tone of voice.

"What the hell was up with you guys earlier!? Flying around with swords, shooting energy blasts and… that was unbelievable!" I say, not sure why I blurted out like that.

"This curse has phenomenal effects once you learn to control it. Dark Ambition is one of the cursed family, and he controls fire apparently. I use dark energy."

"So you can fly?!" I blurt out again.

"You could say that."

"This is all too much to deal with." I say, sighing. "What do I have to do to get to Team Rocket?"

"Raizu…" Says Draxik in a concerned and dark tone.

I raise an eye brow at him as my response.

"Dark Ambition told me something…"

--

I see Raizu dashing away with Abby, and Dark Ambition standing in the clearing. "Ahahaha, this was fun. Go run off now little brother, and save your pathetic pokémon." He says in a playfully evil tone.

I tell the other two to stand where they are and walk up to him, sword up in defense. "You are of the other family… and Raizu is your brother!?" I yell, amazed. I can't accept someone like Raizu to be of such despicable evil.

"Oh yes. I like him quite a bit too, not that I knew him well enough. And you are of the cursed? Figures." He looks at me through the mask that still lay on his face. I had lost my mask, not feeling any emotion anymore.

"I… have to kill both of you." I say, dishearten. "You… and Raizu."

"You can't touch us. He trusts you, but won't stop to hurt you if you do something to him or his friends. That much you should know about us. We stay close, and keep friends closer."

"I could care less. This curse shouldn't be a burden on my family any longer! Especially when it shouldn't even exist, it is almost meaningless!" I yell.

"Then go kill yourself. At least we won't have to deal with you guys again. We being the Kawashima family." His mask fades away as he winks at me, and jumps away. I shoot off a shadow ball effortlessly from my hand and it hits him, sending him sprawling into the woods. I jump after him and find him on the ground, weakened.

"I deserved that." Said Dark Ambition. "I can't move…"

"I should hope not. Now for you to be finished…" I walk up to him slowly from the trees. He had fallen face first into the mud, and looked pathetic.

"Fine. Kill me and be done with it. My father will avenge me, and Raizu might just for the fact that I am a brother." He spits at my feet, and I chuckle a little. "What is so funny? End your curse!"

"Not yet."

"What the HELL is that supposed to mean?!" He yells at me. "You want your curse to be lifted don't you?!"

"If I can't kill Raizu, I won't kill his brother in cold blood."

"YES YOU WILL!" He got up instantly and grabs at my sword. This catches me so off guard that he gets the sword. He holds it horizontally at himself, almost to kill himself. I quickly grab it back and look at him, bewildered.

"Damnit! Let me do what I want! That sword has to be what kills isn't it!?" Yells Dark Ambition. I look at his exasperated face and see a tear fall down it.

I grab his shoulder. "You… what is going on with you?"

"All that I have been doing these last several years… to get Team Rocket from my Father… is to disband it too. He wants me to say it, and I do these things because he tells me to… but I hate it. I don't want to hurt all of these people. Well, that is a lie. But I am not as evil as I think you think I am. I… have to do something for it, and I don't want to live on like this."

"Tell me why you are trying to kill Raizu? Hurting Abby and Veera? What are you thinking!?"

"I have to. Our father made me swear to try and kill Raizu. And in the way he made me do it, I can't go against it. I cannot try, but if the opportunity presents itself, I can't run away. I have to…"

"He would surely know what you are doing if you have that kind of oath." I say, suspicious of this random attempt on his own life and all the confessions.

"I… he says I had to say that to Raizu. My father has so much power I cannot even touch him. People wise, and with his powers. He isn't a kind man. Raizu, he believe such doesn't he?"

I nod.

"Tell him what he is really like. Raizu and I's father is a heartless man. He does want to change Team Rocket's direction, yes, but he's going to go out with a bang. He's going to pull off one last stunt. He won't tell me; He can't trust me when I'm fighting you guys…"

I look at him thoughtfully. "Dark…"

"Ken."

"Ken. What do you want me to do? I could let you go, but…"

"No, it is fine. But, unless you want to kill Raizu, you should let me go. Can you do that?"

"You don't want him gone do you? This is all very odd, sudden, and completely unexpected. My life I have been taught by my late father that your family is evil and that you must be destroyed… and you just tried to commit suicide for MY sake. I feel torn up." I say simply.

"I could expect that…" He just sits there. "My you are in a precarious position."

I look at him and think. My dad died protecting me from a small gang that was attacking the tower, his anger enveloping and killing him. I keep thinking. _Either him and his family and possibly Raizu… or just me._

--

"This is unbelievable!" I say loudly in my hospital room. "You expect him to be telling the truth!? All he said was he is good, my dad is bad, and that he HAS to kill me."

"Well, from what happened next, I changed from your point of view." States Draxik.

I eye him oddly. "What did you do?"

"I executed him promptly."

I would have fallen over and cracked my neck if I were standing up. _The man who hurt Veera and Abby-_

_ABBY!_ "Is Abby okay!?" I yell, forgetting almost about what we were just talking about.

"Oh yes, that would have been a better conversation starter. She is hurt badly, and was close to death. A few more minutes after you got her to the pokécenter and she would have died, but she is going to be fine since you DID get her to the center."

"Thank god…" I say.

"What?"

"Nothing… So… Dark Ambition-"

"Please give him his dignity. Ken."

"My brother Ken. You killed him. He didn't struggle or anything? Seem upset?"

He shakes his head. "He… I stabbed him through the chest. He got out one natural gasp, and took a calm face as he died a second later. So I'm leaving."

I eye him curiously and scared, knowing what he may have decided to do since he killed him. "What?…"

"I am going. I have to think. Killing him in such a way, him asking and saying he wanted death, saying he truly wanted you to live. He probably wanted you to succeed more than his own actions. So I am going to leave and think if killing you and your father will be a better outcome overall." He steps out quickly before I can take it all in.

I look down my bed from my sitting up position, the blankets covering me. I feel overwhelmed and start to cry. It is almost as if I have cried more than most people do in life. _What is wrong with my life? Do I have any real purpose? Why do all these things happen to me!? I wanted to travel and become a good trainer with Veera and maybe a few caught pokémon. But now… I feel like the weight of the whole world is on my shoulders. Oh Veera, how can I be a good trainer to you?…_


	27. Chapter 27

27

27

I get out the next day, finding out how long I had been asleep, a few days. Abby is doing fine great apparently, but doctors were baffled. I had entered into the hospital at critical condition. I was waiting for the morgue in their eyes. My muscles had been torn up so much, the loss of blood from that stab, they thought I wouldn't live. But I healed up completely in just a few days, and they flat out didn't know what to think. Even as I left that day with Serena, they waved me out with stunned looks on their faces. We head toward the pokémon center in order to see how Abby was doing. She doesn't have super natural healing powers, she was just any other pokémon. She is recovering fine apparently, not growing any closer to death.

We arrive after a several-minute long walk. Serena doesn't say much besides that she took Shimmer off my belt and brought her to Abby, but I just think about Draxik. _He left to think about whether or not killing me was worth it? Will I defend myself when the time comes? Or will I accept that I may be better off gone?…_

_NO! I must stop all these negative thoughts. I have Veera, and that is all that matters._

We arrive at the pokécenter and walk inside. The Nurse Joy inside, who looks like every other one that runs the pokécenters (pure blood lines I suppose, but my god), and she doesn't realize who I am as I walk in with Serena.

"Hello, and welcome to the Celadon Pokémon Center. How may I help you?" She asks, probably how she asks everyone who comes into the center.

I don't answer right away and look around the center. The yellow tile, and windows on the high walls and roof seem to mirror Viridian. "Uh, I am Raizu. Abby, my ninetails…"

"Oh! You are that poor pokémon's trainer! Come, she's right this way." She gets out from behind the counter and actually RUNS down the hall to her left. Serena and I look at each other, shrug, and run after her. She darts into a room and we come in a few seconds later, and we breathe for a little bit.

"Why… did… you run… here?" I say, expecting something urgent.

"I like running." She says, smiling happily. I facepalm and look into the room and find Abby.

She is lying on her side, back facing toward me. She has a bunch of wires attached all over her body, and various monitors are beeping, and showing information in her body. Shimmer next to her, sleeping.

"Is she… going to be fine?" I ask.

"Yes, but she won't even be awake for some time, let alone able to move. It may be a month. How was she injured? A pokémon attacked her maybe? Someone attacked you and she took the blow perhaps?"

I instinctively grab her by the collar of her uniform and pin her to the wall, not really angry, but I felt something. "Don't say that. Ever."

She hits my arm away effortlessly. I don't expect this at all, and she grabs the arm and hits the elbow, bending it and bringing me to my knees. "Don't attack me, and I'm sorry if I touched a soft spot."

She lets go of me and I look at Serena, who is laughing at me. "You got owned by a nurse."

"What did you say?"

"Oh nothing. I think we should stay here for that month. Rachamim was supposed to stay here and watch, but he may have gone off to buy some food."

I nod, and just sit down. And we wait for Abby to get better.

--

We wait. We sleep at the center every night, and just watch over Abby and Shimmer. After a week, it seems like Rachamim won't be returning. We have no idea where he went, and it worries us. _Did he just start his journey again? Maybe Team Rocket got him…_

We just slept in the same room as Abby did. She lay on the bed, not even able to use her telepathy for the first few weeks. _She must have been so weak._ Everyday I walk around Saffron and ask dark figures in alleys if they know where to find Team Rocket. I bring my sword, just in case something bad might happen, but nothing ever does, and I don't find anything out. Serena and I just eat instant ramen through the long wait for Abby to recover (chicken is quite a good flavor), and we have our sleeping bags in that very room. Nurse Joy doesn't say much to us, as I suspect she understands how we feel.

One day, a full month later, after Abby is able to walk (but just barely), we go back to the hotel. She wanted to leave the center as soon as possible, tired of the place. In the room, all of my pokémon are now on my belt and Serena and I are just both watching TV, lying with our backs against the bed frame as we watch.

"Raizu…" She says to me soothingly.

"Yes?" I say, not expecting much of anything serious.

"What are we going to do?"

"What?"

"Well," She starts, "We are alone now. Sakura left and hasn't returned, even though this should have been enough time for her to get back, and Rachamim is vanished. You can't find anything out about Team Rocket. What can we do?"

"I suppose we just wait for something to happen." I say, apathetic at the moment.

"What if someone gets hurt again Raizu?"

"We can't do anything about it now Serena." I almost yell, but hold myself back a little.

She must have sensed my hostility still, and she lets a tear down her face. I get up close to her and wipe it off with a finger, softly. "Hey, I'm sorry-"

"I know you are. But you are still changed Raizu… I'm not sure that I can like you anymore."

I feel like I just got kicked in the stomach by a steel-toed boot. "Wait, what?"

"Ever since you got back from your trip, you have seen different. Almost like you're farther away from yourself and I. More apathetic than before. Are you having trouble dealing with these events Raizu? You can tell me. C'mon, it's not like I haven't been hit hard too."

"BUT YOU HAVEN'T!" I yell at her while jumping off the bed. She falls over the side slowly and whimpers a little. "These pokémon… people… were my friends. They are all gone because of some stupid decisions I made. Veera and Abby almost died, and Markus did, in an event that was completely unrelated to Team Rocket! I don't even know where they are when they have a huge base of operations in this very city! We can't even do anything to them now because we don't have our friends here to help us. I don't have enough pokémon to fight even a normal trainer battle!"

"You… don't have to yell at me!" She screams and runs out the door, slamming it loud enough that Abby comes off my belt and asks me what happened.

"Nothing Abby."

_Raizu. She ran out the door and slammed it shut just after you were yelling at her. What Happened!? _She asks, firmer then when she came out.

"I'm not sure… I feel sad, angry, and heartbroken at once. I can even feel the power coursing through me I am so angry. But at who? I haven't done anything…" I say, staring at the ground in shame.

_Bah, your hopeless. Return me at once. _I do so, and feel even worse. _What have I done wrong?_ I think, feeling like everyone had just taken a sword and upped to stab me through the chest. _Everyone is angry at me… who am I angry at?_

I hated not knowing the answer, so I decided to take a walk. Whether or not I found Serena was not on my mind. I leave the hotel in my Lucario shirt and dark jeans and the sword on my waist, simply held there. The evening sky is dark and calming, a few lights lit in the whole city, paving the ground and wall of buildings with a pale yellow glow that feels instantly warm as I walk through it. I walk toward the forest to the south of the city, near the gym, and just sit on a bench and look at the trees. _They all hate me… maybe I hate myself too? Can I be so angry at myself that I become stronger? That is ridiculous._

I don't get much more time to think, as I am hit over the back of my head by a hard, blunt object, and fall to the ground unconscious.


	28. Chapter 28

28

28

I woke up with a stinging pain in my neck. Before even looking around where I was, I rubbed the back of my neck softly. It was rough feeling and hurt if I pressed on it. _Great, I got hit so hard my NECK is bruised…_

After moping for a few seconds over a sore and bruised neck, that REALLY made moving my head hard, I looked around. I was in a metal cage, bars on all four sides, and very little space between each. It is about 10 by 10 easy, so I have some room to move. I still have my pokéballs, which is odd in my mind. _If I have a captor, why would I still have my pokéballs?_

Past the cage, the room I am in is huge. Like the inside of a warehouse.

Then something occurred to me. Rachamim mentioned once that the ambush spot was a warehouse.

I face palm instantly. _I had sat down near a warehouse. How could I be so careless!? So they actually were still here, several weeks after the supposed attack? What IS going on…?_

Before I have more time to think, a door opens and slams. But I don't see any doors on any of the walls. There are far away boxes, but they wouldn't prevent me from seeing a door. I quickly count up 7 boxes, 3 pairs stacked up, almost perfectly, and one lies open on its side facing away from me. I sigh and keep looking around when I see people. In rocket outfits. Each person is coming out from behind each pile of boxes at the same time, as if on cue. They are too far away, the huge warehouse being something someone would expect to see in a harbor, but I make out their walking toward me. I grab at a pokéball at my waist and release Veera. The red flash reaches outside the bars as the pokéball opens up from my hand and Veera appears in front of me. Her beautiful white fur and large feathered wings are something to marvel at. She looks around, then turns to me and gasps. _What happened Raizu!?_

"Take care of these guys, it doesn't matter!" I yell out, and see the rocket members release their pokémon. "Take care of them! I don't care how you attack, just don't kill them. Go for knock outs."

She nods quickly and takes off like a rocket into the air. The member farthest away from me, inbetween the other two rockets, releases his pokémon, a Feraligatr. It looked at Veera, seeming to have hesitated for a second, then unleashed an ice beam via command. Veera dodges it, and hesitates as well. She then releases a shadow ball at the feraligatr and lands a direct hit, knocking the feraligatr back several feet, but not knocking it down. I noticed a Roserade released from a member to Veera's left, from a female rocket member. _Look out for that roserade! _I call out, using our shared telepathy. She looks just as a razor leaf is shot at her, but dodges it just in time. She uses a wing attack and hits the roserade dead on, sending it sprawling. She keeps to the air, backing away from the other member just as she notices the last pokémon released, a Blaziken, come out and shoot a flamethrower at Veera. I can't warn her in time as she gets hit directly in the chest, causing her to fall to the ground, and then gets hit by an ice beam by the feraligatr. She grows cold quickly, and her wings actually form small icicles on the feathers and tips, and she falls over unconscious.

_I can't recall her this far away… no…_

I see the middle member, a man, high five the female next to him, and the third one who released the blaziken kick Veera on the ground. They all then leave her on the ground, a slight bleeding now coming from her underside.

_Whoa, I can see her bleeding this far away? Does that mean I'm sad now? My mind heightened…?_

They come over, each of them wearing masks as they come to me, the black cloth covering each of their faces, their eyes not even visible.

"So, you are the one the boss wants?" Says the man to the left.

"That's the guy, I recognize that hair and face anywhere. Don't worry, I'm sure she can take care of him." Says the guy in the middle, his voice odd sounding. I just notice now I can't see any of these people's hair. They all look the same, except for the chest of the woman.

I don't change my look. I keep my indifference. "Can… I return Veera? Please, she is hurt enough…" I say, sadly.

"Oh, your poor pokémon hurt? That sucks." Says the man on the left. "Sure as hell… NOT. We know who she is, and what she was involved with. She'll be returned to her mother and put into the program too, having evolved, she can probably mate now…"

I realize my sword isn't with me, but I don't care. I jump at him, almost grabbing him through the bars, being held back by only the metal in this cage. "You don't touch her!" I yell, angrily.

"Tch. Touchy. Is that how you treat an old friend?" The man takes off his mask, and reveals the boy with long red hair.

"DEREN!" I yell. "You little…"

"Ahaha! Your hilarious. I had a job to do, I don't see what the surprise is. You there, erm, Rachamim, take our prisoner away okay? I'm going to tell boss what we've caught. I better get paid for this big."

I freeze. _Rachamim!? What is he doing with Team Rocket?_

The middle person reveals his mask, and Rachamim stands there. "I don't feel like it, he knows me too well. Grunt there, take him away. To some place… or something." He waves the woman away, and she gets out a small gun-like weapon. She aims the barrel at me, and I feel a stinging pain in my side; a shock crawling up through my body. I reach down and feel a small metal object logged in my side, and fall over unconscious.

--

I wake up with no pain or object in my side, and look around. I'm in the same cage, but in a totally different room. It is dark, and all the walls and floor are made out of metal. There is a window, but it is a little too far to see through. No door large enough to fit the cage I'm in though is visible, so it's weird that I am in here still.

_Crap, where is Veera? I hope she's okay… I can't let anything bad happen to her._ I try to prevent myself from getting angry as I feel around the cage; not enough light let in from the window to see the bars well. I look for the lock and try to find out how big the keyhole is. Not very, my fingernails hardly cover how high it is. I pull out a small pen from my pants pocket, and get the cap to see if it will fit into the lock so that I can pick it. Unfortunately, the pen cap doesn't even FIT the lock.

I sigh when I get an idea. _If I can't get out, I could at least try to see if Veera is okay. Maybe she is in range. Veera, can you hear me?_ I say, using personal telepathy.

I wait a few seconds and am about to call out again when I hear her. _Raizu… eh… You're okay now? Awake then?_

_Yeah. What is going on? How long have I been out..._

_A few hours. Oh Raizu, ah! Oh…_

_What is going on? _I ask. She sounds like she's incoherently gasping or something.

_You heard what they were going to do to me right? The program…_

_Yes I have. Veera, you aren't… Oh no…_

_I'm in it already. They're raping me Raizu. There are a lot of pokémon down here… oh it feels so good and horrible at the same time…_

_DO NOT GIVE INTO THOSE INSTICTS Veera! This is wrong and you should be hating it! Your heat…_

_I'm not in heat Raizu. The pokémon are raping me for the sake… eh… of it._

I sit wide-eyed and quietly for a few seconds. _Rape just for the sake of it? Not forced? I thought most of the pokémon involved hated being here like Markus…_

_Help me Raizu…_

_All right. Um… wait, are you in a brightly lit room?_

_Yes._

_Right now… what is happening?_

_A mightyena… just got finished… this feels so disgusting…_

_Please Veera! Look around. Can you see a window leading into a dark room that is long and slanted?_

_I… do. It leans into another room._

_That looks like my window! Now, can you attack it! Then I'd know if you were near me or not… and maybe even break the glass._

_O-okay. Here goes a shadow ball!_

I look at the glass and sure enough, a black blob of energy smacks into it soundly, but doesn't break it. _I saw it Veera!_

_Good. That… weakened me too much. I have to sleep now… bye…_

_Don't fall asleep and let those pokémon have their way with you! Get up Veera! Veera!?_

She stops answering me, and I began to feel a presence as we talked, but it had faded away by now. I sigh and realize that I still have my pokémon with me. _Fools! _I release Abby to the outside of the cage and tell her to flamethrower the lock. I lie on the bottom of the cage so I don't get hit by it as she shoots her flame through the metal, melting it and breaking the lock. I get up when she's done and kick down the horribly weakened bars and thank her, returning her to her pokéball. As I look around for a light switch though, a member of Team Rocket enters the room from a door farther away. The same woman who knocked me out with that gun thing. I run at her and get ready to tackle her to the ground when she flips on the lights, looks at me, and grabs my arm, bringing me to the ground.

I spit at her. "Get off of me." I say, sternly.

"Is that ANY way to treat a long missed friend?" She says, and I recognize the voice. She takes off her mask and shows herself to be Sakura. "I can't explain it all now, but we must go. To find Alexis and Veera."


	29. Chapter 29

29

29

"I already know where Veera is!" I scream and run to the window where she shot her shadow ball, and start pounding it with my fists. I look in, but can hardly see anything because the glass is so thick that it is distorting the view behind it. "GOD DAMNIT! VEERA!"

"We can't get in on this side of the compound Raizu!" Says Sakura. "We have to go to the other side if we even want in those chambers."

"Augh, why are you here? And where is my sword?"

She sighs and walks toward the wall and takes the sword off of the table it was on top of. "Here. But you can't go around killing anyone. Team Rocket is so meticulous with their cameras and attendance that I actually had to JOIN Team Rocket. I'm hardly undercover."

"What?" I ask her, stunned.

She nodded. "When you join Team Rocket, unless you're that weird duo with the meowth who have been with them since the beginning of time, everyone has a chip inside of their bodies that alerts a team to where you are. I have mine, as after the incident in Pewter, I thought I'd be more helpful in here than out there. But unfortunately, grunts hardly learn anything, since I have hardly found anything about this project with the mating they have been doing."

"All right! That seems easy Sakura!" I say, oddly excited again. _I'm getting mood swings, damn puberty._ "Those idiots must not think people would try and double cross, or else it'd be more than a tracker."

"Yeah, they can be stupid…" She doesn't finish her sentence as she gets behind me and grabs my hands, like I am handcuffed. "Shut up and play along. And gimme your sword."

I cooperate and she takes it from me. As soon as she throws it on the ground, another member walks into the room. He is a tall man, and wearing a mask currently. "The prisoner, hand him over."

"I got this one, okay?" Says Sakura. "He's a little annoying, the arrogant bitch, but I got his sword away."

"He doesn't NEED a sword, he has enough strength that he fought with Dark Ambition and survived. Won even. I know enough martial arts that I can handle this." He didn't sound familiar in anyway, so I guessed it wasn't a friend in disguise. If Rachamim could join back, I don't know who else could be in really…

"I have more physical strength than most people on this BASE. We'll both take him okay." She walks forward with me and the man walks in front of us, out of the room and down the hall. The entire inside of the base, if looks don't change through out it, to be made up of steel panels. They make up the walls, floors, ceilings, everything. Most are either a blue tint color or pink, and, as we walk by hallway intersections, I see the big, red Rocket logos at each one. We keep walking for several minutes when we finally come to a door in the hall. We had walked straight and taken no turns. _How far away from you am I now Veera?_

"All right, we're here." Says Sakura, as we walk in, the man still in front of us. It's just a supply closet. I look around and see jars of stuff all over the shelves that are on all sides of the closet. There would probably be enough room for about 10 people inside tightly, so just us three takes up no room. "Now."

I look around, expecting a trap, and jump back against the door incase I need to get out quickly, but nothing happen, albeit the man taking the mask off and his hat that every single member wears. He is a very pale man, with bright blue eyes and silver hair. I don't recognize him right away, then I realize who he is.

"STEVEN!" I yell, but Sakura clamps my mouth. I toss her hand away easily and start talking again. "What the hell are you doing here? You lead the Elite Four in Hoenn don't you?"

"I did, until I had to be relieved for a few reasons. Now Wallace is there and I can actually do something about this stupid organization. Rocket is reaching higher than Galactic or Teams Magma/Aqua ever since your Dad took over, and I recently had to go undercover. Considering those damn chips they installed, I couldn't be in the elite four as well as being here. Now, I helped Sakura into Team Rocket, she helped you escape some bad people, so you need to help ME."

"How the hell can I do that?" I say, more than ask. "Everyone wants to kill me and I can't very well take down an entire organization myself. Though I said I wanted to, I can't exactly. I just want to get Veera and Alexis out first. Then I'll do whatever."

"Some friends they kidnapped? Don't worry, we'll rescue them!" Says Steven, placing his foot on a barrel and striking some kind of dramatic pose. I kinda give him a look, and then he asks, "Who are they now? We haven't had any new prisoners in a while."

I glance over at Sakura, with a VERY annoyed look. "You DIDN'T tell him about Veera or Alexis?"

"Oops. Guess Serena is rubbing off on me." She blushes a little bit and turns to Steven to tell him about what the whole situation was.

"Oh! Wow Raizu! You are in SOME kind of pickle then. Well, I wanted to defeat the boss man first, but I guess getting your pokémon free won't hurt! And we don't have to deviate much!" He started rummaging through a barrel of clothes that seemed to come out of nowhere and throws a uniform at me. I hold it up to look at it and see it is a female's uniform, and about a foot too tall for me.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I say, not exactly asking.

"Yes. Here is your uniform." I give him a blank look as he shoves a male, correctly sized uniform at me. He and Sakura walk outside the room and stand. I change quickly, the uniform making me look very odd. _Why they have an outfit for a 13-year-old I will never know. _I put the clothes in the corner, behind a pile of boxes that look like they haven't been touched in ages. I walk out and they look at me and Sakura giggles.

"This is a new look." She says. I shoot her a look that would make anyone who didn't know me want to run off in terror. "Touchy…"

"You look like every other person here except for your long blue hair. Some members do it, but not many. Guess you'll be more conspicuous than I had hoped for." Explained Steven.

"So how do we get my Veera back, and find Alexis?" I ask. I asked in a concerned tone, and I was, and Sakura seemed not to have expected it.

"I'm sure Sakura already told you that you were put in the WORST place possible, and so was Veera. You see, this experiment is VERY odd. Females each live in a room, and males rotate constantly. But, because of what happened between Alexis and that stupid Lucario…

I run up to him and shove my hand at his throat, pinning him against the wall and holding one of his arms against the wall so he can't break the pin without kicking me, which he'll probably do in a second. "Don't… speak… of Markus… like that… or you're a dead man."

"You KNOW him?"

"He died saving my life!"

"Oh well, then I'm sorry I said that. Not sorry I meant it though, mate." I let him go and just sigh and glare at him.

"Now, when pokémon become mates in this program, we've learned what to do since that lucario, or Markus, whatever his name is. If two become mates or simply just fall in love, we cut them off from the rest. If the two are strong though, sometimes we keep males rotating into that room and the couple will have to fight off the others."

"This is so wrong! GOD DAMNIT!" I yell, and smash my hands into a nearby window. "Veera…"

"I'm sure… well… if I said that I'd be lying. Never mind, we should just go."

"I don't know about you, but I'm running!" I say, and dart off down the hall. I can hear Sakura and Steven calling me down the halls, but I ignore them. I also try to call out to Veera and Alexis with my mind, but I don't hear them either. I feel alone.

I pass by a few normal Rocket Members, and most of them eye me oddly as I run down the hall, but I could care less. My sprint lasts for several minutes before I finally notice that windows have stopped coming up and that the hallway branches to the right. I make the turn and see a door that leads into the rooms where the experiment takes place. There seems to be no guards around it, and I grin at my fortune. I open the door slowly and walk inside, taking a good look around.

The inside is a golden-yellow tiled room again, and it looks almost exactly like Veera's from what I could tell when I looked in there. There are no windows and I feel isolated already, even though the door is open right behind me. The wall opposite of me has two small, top-sliding open doors, and the middle of the wall has a normal door with a small window in it. I bless my luck and dart toward the center door when the door on the left slides open, letting in a Gallade. He was walking in an unsteady line, like he was drunk, and his eyes were empty, until he sees me. He looks up at me, his eyes turn fiery with anger, and he charges at me with his arm blades both glowing. I duck and roll to the side just before he would have hit me, and I get to my feet quickly. _No human can take getting hit by a psycho cut…_ I dodge again as he charges at me, so his back is now to the door I came in and I face it. I look behind him and see Sakura at its entrance.

She has a handgun aimed weakly at the Gallade. It is almost bigger than her hand.

_If she misses that shot she'll hit me! And that is one big gun! _I jump to the side and the Gallade turns to her. The look still in his eye, his arm blades begin to glow again, and she takes the shot. The huge shell pounds the gallade right in the chest, leaving a hole straight through. The sound from the bullet going off makes me fall over on to the ground, both of my hands covering my ears as the sound rings in my head, only being amplified the almost sound-proof walls that reflect them back, not absorb. I can hardly hear the gallade as he somehow gives off one scream before falling to the ground dead, blood soaking his front quickly. The must have hurt her wrist as it is now several yards away from her on the ground. She is cradling her wrist and was gritting her teeth, the ringing probably still in her ears.

"I think… it's broken… Ow… What the HELL IS THAT!?" She yells, pointing at the gun. "That wasn't a stun pistol!"

"That's a freaking magnum!" Says Steven from behind her. "50 Caliber too. Desert Eagles are nasty things."

"A what?" Says Sakura, obviously confused.

"It's a gun. A harbinger of death. These things can shoot small piece of pointed metal faster than the speed of sound. I guess THIS piece of metal isn't exactly small." I walk over and pick up the piece that covered the shell before it was shot, now on the ground. It was damn big.

"A… gun? I've never seen these before in my life." Says Sakura.

"You have now." I say, and sigh. "I am cursed with this knowledge. We only think humanity has a hope of coexisting with the world and pokémon now because guns pretty much have been completely forgotten and eliminated. Way back, before even electricity was discovered, or put to human use really, people had guns. Some could shoot hundreds of shots per minutes, some fire a spread pattern. Some people used them to hunt for food, others to protect… and many more for war. Millions of people could die from huge battles that took place all over the planet and each one had been waged with guns. School teaches us they were pokémon wars, but the World Wars were in fact wrought around with guns. But, people started getting too smart. Evolution or something. People, in both government and crime organizations, would change leaders and powers and positions because people had learned how to make good use of guns anywhere they wanted, and sneak them around. Finally, a ban on all guns was made and they were all destroyed. No gun has been seen for many, MANY years, and if one does pop up, it is instantly made a cover-up by the government. Some adults know about guns, some don't. I do because my dad gave me some disturbing lessons way back when." I sigh; this speech in the totally wrong place and the wrong time, but it felt good having actually TOLD someone that.

Steven nodded. "He's right. Now only stun pistols are regular issue really. There are SNIPING stun guns, but those are not good for aiming and always pierce the skin like a bullet anyway."

"Okay, THANKS for the history lesson guys, but I just want to get out of here before someone sees what we did to this gallade." She goes off toward the door and opens it, darting inside. I go over and pick up the magnum and test that it isn't set to hair trigger. It wasn't. I sigh and walk in with Steven. There is a long, series of hallways that all seem to lead into other rooms. The hallways turn too, this way and that, making navigating weird. We look inside every door's window and see which pokémon is inside of which, and every time I look in, I almost always see something disgusting. The hallway eventually stops though, and we cross through the room of a male female Leafeon. I don't want to shoot it, but when it charges at us, I let loose a shot straight into its head. _I am so sorry._ We cross that room and into another net work of hallways, and I start feeling hopeless. It has been 20 minutes since we came into these rooms and we have had no luck.

"Raizu!" Yells Sakura, standing at a door that is only two feet away from me. I clean out my ears and turn to her, then look through the window and see Alexis, lying on the ground unconscious. Two scientists are injecting her with some kind of serum.

"That is the stuff that makes her mind forget who she loves. But it may not be working, and only her organs seem to be forgetting anything." Says Steven solemnly. I grow enraged at what they are doing and slam open the door, shooting one scientist in the head with the magnum. He falls over dead instantly, blood and skull bits spraying on the floor behind him. The knock back makes my hand numb for a second though, but that was long enough for the other scientist to pull out a pistol and shoot me in the gut. I gasp, feeling the bullet streak through my skin and lodge itself inside me, and I fall over, hands cradling my gut. The pain would have made anyone else faint by now, but I stay conscious. I can feel myself fading though, as all I can do is watch the next scene happen.

I watch Sakura run in to check up on me, but the scientist, dressed in his fancy-pants white lab-coat, gets up and aims the gun at her.

"Sakura… Get away… He's going to…" I cough up some blood, and she cradles my head and tries to pick me up, putting one finger to her mouth.

He fires the gun.

The bullet hits her back, right into her chest. She stops moving and drops me. I slam onto the floor painfully, and Sakura just looks at me and smiles weakly as she falls over to her side. _Sakura… oh god no…_

The scientist rushes over to the other one and starts looking him over, taking his pistol too and just leaves him there. _Heartless monster!_

Steven jumps into the room, sliding along the floor as he picks up the magnum and fires it twice at the last scientist, before dropping the gun from the knock back. The scientist takes each shot in the back, falling over and even sliding forward a bit, blood soaking his coat and body. Steven gets up, sighs, and then looks at Sakura and gasps. He runs over to her, turns her on her back, and presses one now blood-soaked finger against her throat. I can hardly see now, but I struggle to try and stay conscious.

"We have to… save Sakura…" I say between coughs.

"Sorry mate… she's dead… I don't know what we can do about you either. I'll try to wake up Alexis okay?"

I nod, and decide if these are my last moments, that I better try and contact Veera. _Veera? Are you awake yet?_

I don't hear anything for a few seconds, then try again. _Veera?! Please be up…_

_I am Raizu! What's up?_

_You sound better. Is it less harsh now?_

_You could say that…_

_Good. _Before I can continue, something happens. Steven, who is walking with Alexis' limb but live body, just closes his eyes and falls over. I gasp and look to the door and see a familiar face pick me up by the throat. _I'm sorry, I'm really hurt now… I thought I'd take this time to tell you I may not see you again._

_No Raizu! I know you are strong! You can do this! Don't give up, not when your best friend is in danger here! I can't get out, this place is horrible…_

I look the man in the eye, and he grins at me. _Veera, I'm dying here. I can't fight him off the way I am now._

_Can't fight off who? Who Raizu?_

_He's…_

"Raizu, did you think you'd never see your brother again?" Says Dark Ambition with an evil grin. He stabs me with his claws and I completely black out, fully thinking I have died.


	30. Chapter 30

30

30

I watch her close the journal with a startled look. "God, you got stabbed?"

"Yeah." I say. "And I'm totally fine now… it's weird." I look at Serena with soft eyes. "But I was worried about you. I just finished that, and you want to read it?"

"Well, you think Team Rocket wants news of this getting out? They'll just take it like everything else we had…" She says, certain of herself.

"I would have thought they would ALREADY have taken this. You must be in your serious mood, confiscate cannot be in your normal vocab."

She laughs, and we both grow quiet. I sigh and look around the place we are in. We are in a small jail cell, but the floors still look like every other place in the building, with metal bars acting as our door that look completely out of place. They look rusted, old and borderline breakable, but I had already tried hitting them and not even a scratch of metal came off. The hall outside is lined with cells like these, and from what I can see, they seem to be almost two feet think walls of pavement between the cells. There is no one else in any of the cells.

"Augh… what time is it?"

"It's been about 3 hours since I walked out of our room and got captured, I have no idea when you got captured, but it can't have been long after me…"

I sigh, when I see two rocket guards come in, escorting Steven. They open the cell across from us and throw him in. He's still in his rocket outfit, but there are holes worn through his clothes, and he's bruised and bleeding from several places. He hardly looks conscious.

"Who's that?" Asks Serena. "Did they just finish beating him?…"

"He's the X-elite four leader of Hoenn. He went undercover into Team Rocket and now they found him out…"

We sigh in unison and wait for several more minutes. Just sitting and looking around. My eyes dart all over the cell, tying to look for faulty cracks in the cement, or maybe something in the joints that hold the iron bars together. I dare not try and make myself angry for fear that I may tear myself up so much that I die, especially when I can't get hospital attention. But after what Serena says is about 15 minutes (I asking her about every-single one), two people come in from down the hall, the door slamming shut. I get to my feet and Serena just lies back against the wall, falling in and out of sleep.

In seconds, Dark appears in front of our door, with Rachamim following him. He has a kind of assault rifle with him, and a smirk that I can't help but hate. He also is wearing normal street clothes, which I find akward. Dark is wearing his robe again, and some casual dark jeans. Giving me an evil grin he says, "Hey little bro."

"Stop fucking calling me your brother." I spit on the ground at his foot, and it moves out of the way so fast that I didn't even see it. "Why am I not dead?"

"Dad wants to see you, pretty simple…" He rubs his chin in thought. "But first, Rachamim wants to say something." He steps back, and Rachamim approaches the bars. I, feeling pissed off at the moment, jump at him, and reach for his throat through the bars. He lifts up the gun incredibly fast and shoots my left arm, one bullet hitting it and the rest hitting the wall, harmlessly behind us. I yelp and grab my hand, blood leaking out of the wound from the bullet. Serena covers her ears at the sound of the shots, and when she looks up and see a gun, she screams.

"I hate those… THINGS! One killed my mother! Get that away from me!" She yells, angrily but in pain as well.

"You never told me a gun killed your mom Serena…" I say, almost forgetting the piece of metal that was lodged in my arm.

"Some things are just better left unsaid Raizu…" She's huddled up in the fetal position, her hands over her ears.

"Shut up!" Says Rachamim. "It's time we finished this." He reaches into his pocket and reaches for something, pulling out keys. He uses them to open up the door, and Dark Ambition walks inside to pick up my journal.

"GET AWAY FROM THAT!" I scream, jumping at him. Rachamim shoots off a few more rounds, and I stop moving at him.

"Why do you care?" Says Dark.

"Is your name really Ken?" I ask curtly.

"Sure." He answers, casually. He picks it up, and the two of them retreat out of the cell, locking it again. "Okay Rachamim, be a good kid and shoot up that Serena for me okay? She's useless to us now." He starts walking away.

"Stop calling me kid!" Says Rachamim as Dark leaves, then he looks at us. He holds his rifle up and looks down the sights at Serena. I get in his way. "You won't hurt her."

"I will if I want to." He responds. Before either of us do anything, something weird starts up. Singing. At first I'm not sure who is doing it, but then I spin around and see Serena's mouth moving, and she's standing, but supporting herself against the wall like she's hurt. The voice coming from her. It fills up the whole room, a beautiful sound I had never heard from her before. The song is one I am not familiar with either…

_Feeling so helpless_

_Lost in the loneliness_

_I can 'naught but protest_

_To these horrible things I see._

_Knowing all is useless_

_Only seeing hopelessness_

_But we can end this test_

_We can and must make it and see._

_I see you there with your glare_

_Giving it to all you think you control_

_To make us miserable and make us hate our lives_

_When all we really hate is you_

_You and your darkness_

_You and your tyranny_

_That we no longer can endure_

She walks over to me and faints, and I catch her. Rachamim laughs. "My that was awfully random. Okay, time to kill you." He brings up the rifle again.

"Please, Rachamim… don't shoot us. I trusted you, you told us you hated Team Rocket."

"I lied. I can get power, and people like me here. I'm doing something to help someone."

"Who could you possibly helping?!" I yell.

"Get huffy and this hand will slip and you both die. And myself."

"Get over it! You are not a power-hungry arrogant fool!"

"YOU ARE SO STUPID! You thought you could take on a whole organization with your little sword, winged-eevee bitch and that friend named Draxik who ran away off on you." He spits at me and pulls the trigger. I cringe and hug Serena tightly against me, she still being unconscious, waiting for the metal to go through both of us, when I realized in several seconds, that there was no sound, or stinging pain. I look up and hear the clicking of the empty hitting an empty barrel.

"Oh yes, of course I'd forget to switch magazines after using this in the practice hall." He ejects the magazine currently loaded in the gun and gets out another one, this one with red tape on it. He puts it in, then proceeds to pull the trigger one last time.

I hear the shots ring out, the sound nearly deafening and it lasts for several seconds again, the ringing only getting louder as he fires. But I realize that after several seconds I should be dead. I look up at him and see the bright bursts from the bullets going off, but no bullets flying.

Blanks.

Rachamim stops and falls over laughing, pounding the ground with his fists. "Wow, you bought it. Oh my god, ahahahaha!"

I but Serena on the ground and rip off a part of my shirtsleeve, to wrap it around my bullet wound. It is bleeding worse now since I hadn't even put any pressure, and my arm aches. "Haha, funny. You still shot me."

"Had to convince Darkles. Now come on, and bring Serena with you. We're getting Veera and Tempest and getting out of here." He explains.

"Who?" I ask, curious.

"It's a long story…"

--

We walk into the room - with me carrying Serena - where the experiment takes place, and I see Veera asleep. With a Jolteon lying next to her, licking her cheek. I get angry instantly, and rush forward to kick him off her. He sees me coming and gets up, readying himself to launch an attack, but Rachamim stops me by kicking me in the nads before I realize he was in front of me. I kinda stop instantly, and just fall over, grabbing at my crotch.

"You bastard! Oh…" I say, moaning in pain, and feeling the nauseous feeling after getting kicked there, come up.

"Who's this sonuvabitch?" Says the Jolteon out loud. I figure I hear him because of my abilities.

"He's Veera's trainer!" Answers Rachamim as I realize I'm not alone in hearing him. "Also, you are one to talk, Tempest."

"Oh, I see what you did there. Anyway, hi you."

I look at him wide-eyed, getting up slowly. "You… can talk?" I say, still feigning my ability to understand pokémon, and still amazed that Rachamim could understand him.

"Yeah… the drugs here aren't just to get us hot you know. They do other things… like give some of us the ability to talk to humans. I like it." He looks me over. "You are Veera's trainer, eh? Not much too look at."

"So, eh, Rachamim… what's the story here?"

"As Tempest says it, Veera entered heat just as he was about to leave after… well, NOT raping Veera because she told him to shove off, and then they had sex and are mates now."

"Veera… entered heat at 10?"

"Eh, she's actually 12 according to our records, but yeah, that's pretty early, and lucky."

I sigh and smile at Veera. _You are quite lucky. You saved my life and almost lost yours, and now you found a mate. _"He seems… okay."

"Right. Can you get us out of here? I want to shoot that sonuvabitch that started this program. With lightning of course…" He arches his eyebrows to seem intimidating.

"Oh yes, your ability to control sound is very frightening." I say, mockingly.

"Don't apply science to me. I'm a yellow, spiky-haired dog who can control electricity. Bitch."

"Talking about yourself again?" Chimes in Rachamim.

"Shut up. Hey, Veera?" Says Tempest, using a paw to pat Veera's face softly and wake her up. "Raizu is here. I think we should go. Or something."

She slowly opens her eyes, blinking a few times then looking up at me. "Raizu!?" She gets to her feet instantly and jumps at me. I quickly put Serena down and fall over as Veera collides into me. I hug her and she licks my face. "Oh, I missed you so much."

"Yeah, I missed you too."

"Oh, you can understand me?" She asks, curious.

"Erm…" I say, looking to the ground and tapping my toes on the ground.

"You can understand pokémon?!" Asks Rachamim, stunned.

I lift Veera off me and then see Serena standing there as well. "You never told me THAT."

"Uh…" I say, not sure what to say.

"This could have solved a lot of problems."

"I know- what?"

We all look to the door of the room, the room identical to where we had found Alexis, and see Dark Ambition. With Draxik behind him, still I his black training kimono he normally wears everywhere.

"If we knew you had that ability, we could have used you in so many ways." Says Dark. "Okay Draxik, do your thing."

"As you wish." He says, quietly and obediently. He unsheathes his sword.

"Wait, are you going to attack me!?" I say. "I don't need more people trying to kill me, I have enough as it is."

"Being funny won't save you Raizu." He says bluntly.

"Why… you said… you killed him, and that you were going off to think. What have you done?!"

Dark bursts out laughing. "Family feuds are great aren't they? When you left, I subdued Draxik and made him swear a… special oath. He had to lie for me, and come work for me. He's done some evil things lately, killing a few measly pokémon who can't even fight back and defied Team Rocket, and we both went out and did something else you'll probably not like much."

"What!?" I yell, getting angry.

"You better not try going home to Pallet again Raizu, because your house is just a smoldering crater in the ground. We destroyed your home, with our mother in it!"

I go wide-eyed. I feel my heart skip beats, and tears start to roll down my face for a second time. "Mom…"

"Oh, the last word. How touching." Dark points at me and Draxik charges at me with his sword out to cut me down.


	31. Chapter 31

31

31

My eyes open and I find myself in a very nice room. Though I know the last thing I should be thinking about is how nice the room is, with it's bright lights, yellow walls, and a large bed with violet sheets and a canopy, it is the first thing I see.

_Wait,_ I think. _Wasn't… I in one of the experiment rooms? With Draxik about to attack me, and probably kill me? How did I get here?_ The questions plague me for a few seconds when I realize that I'm not alone in the room. Dark Ambition is sitting on a chair near me. I get angry and rush at him, realizing I don't have a sword, my hands forward and ready to grab him. When I get inches away, he grabs me and pushes my hand away gently, not to hurt me, just to stop. I notice that he's reading something. My journal. He had on little reading glasses too. It was a side of him I wasn't used to seeing.

"Hey, what happened!?" I yell at him.

He closes the journal. "Wow. You've been through a lot."

"Not your business. I want my journal back!" I yell angrily.

"Why do you care? I could kill you right now."

"Because that's all I have left…" I say, getting a little bit calmer. "Markus is gone… Sakura is dead… I don't even know where Serena is NOW, and she probably hates me still… I only have that journal to confine in. Now that is gone."

"Oh boo-hoo, big deal. So I read your journal. At least you have a new ally."

"What?…" I say, very confused.

"Me."

"What!?" I yell, even more confused. "You have been trying to kill me for the longest time, and now you just expect to 'befriend' me or something?"

"Yes." He answers plainly.

"That… is so…"

"Callous?"

"Could be- Hey! Don't try to have a conversation with me! You want to kill me."

"You were already killed, so my mission is complete. Now I want to help you, especially after reading this, man you've been through some sick shit."

I look at him wide-eyed. "I'm dead?"

"WERE, Dead."

"Okay, I was dead. Now I'm not. Um…"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. By the way, I'm going to MAKE you ask me." Dark chuckles to himself.

Raizu just looks at him blankly. "Why am I alive when I was dead previously?"

"Oh, trying to be fancy. I'll tell you the whole story to be honest. Why I'm your ally, why you were dead and now alive, and, well, how your mission here has been, more or less, a success."

"Alexis is okay?!"

As if on cue, I see a pink, two-pronged tail appear from behind dark. An espeon emerges from behind him as if out of nowhere. _Hello Raizu._

"Oh! Wow, you're here… Okay, I'm ready for my explanation."

"Here goes. Also, here's your sword, just to possibly gain a little trust. I hope Alexis being here safe and sound also. Now listen. You will not like most of what you hear…

I cackle loudly, keeping the stupid, evil, bad-guy laugh going, hoping Raizu doesn't move. _C'mon Draxik, hit the target. You know if you hit him, I can finally initiate my plan and we'll all, hopefully get out of this alive._

Raizu stands unmoving as I watch Draxik plunge his sword straight through Raizu's chest. He coughs once, and blood leaks out his chest and back. I cackle again, and Draxik pushes Raizu forward and off his sword. Serena catches him, and tries to speak to him softly, too soft for me to hear. I just look at him, and feel a ping in my head. A shooting pain that goes downward through my body, like a spear. It dissipates though, and the only after affect I feel is a cold shiver.

Raizu is dead. That much I can tell from where I am standing. Serena is kneeling over his body, crying, and I can hear her saying he didn't deserve this. Rachamim just looks down sadly then at me with anger blaring in his eyes. "YOU EVIL BASTARD!"

"Hey, I didn't kill him."

"YOU MADE DRAXIK DO IT!" He screams, shooting off an entire magazine of the rifle into dark ambition. I only laugh, instinctively raising a "Reflect" shield to stop the bullets.

"Okay, this is getting annoying. Draxik, come here." I command. He does one single back flip and returns to my side, flying high over the barrier I made. While the group is stunned at the death of their friend, I take a pokéball off of my waist, and toss it out, to release the pokémon inside of it. "Alexis, do your thing, my plan is already in progress."

The light comes out and takes the form of the Espeon that Raizu's group has been searching for, for so long… _Right, I'll get on it. I need a family member though…_

"Veera is right over there." I say, pointing at Raizu's body, where both Serena and Veera are crying over him. Rachamim is just pacing about, probably wondering how he can kill me, and Tempest is just looking around, trying to comfort Veera with a few words but failing horribly at it. I watch Alexis go over and listen to the conversation, intent to not take any more part in this scene.

_Veera._

The white furred, yet angel-winged pokémon looks at her, and she bursts out crying even more. _Oh mom, you're here now. That's perfect, seeing my trainer, and best friend just died in front of my eyes, betrayed by another friend. Oh, what do we do? We can't even get out of here when that malicious-_

_Don't worry, he brought me here._

_What?_

_I can save your trainer too. Have faith, my daughter._

Veera gets up off of Raizu's body, and Alexis looks to Tempest. _Is this your-_

"Hi there. You know Veera… how?"

_Her mother._

"That's cool. Where is she?"

_I'm her mother._

"Oh. That complicates things."

Alexis looks to Veera with a pale face. _This is-_

_Yeah._

_Okay Veera. My daughter, I can save this boy, Raizu, correct?_

_That was his name…_ She starts to cry again, but then gets slapped by Serena.

"Don't say that. Not past tense, not yet. If this espeon can do something, well, we might as well try right!?" She gets out, through her tears. "I don't want to lose him, don't doubt everything! If something seems too good to be true, take it! Do it, whatever! That way you know you didn't miss anything! I want my Raizu back…"

_This is a fairly… hard process. Veera, I have to warn you, I need YOUR help alone, but I may die. I have to know if you can handle that. I wouldn't want you all alone. Not ever. If I die though, Raizu will live. Can you handle that?_

_Stop reiterating. I can handle it mom, just try. I want Raizu back._

_All right._ She places a paw and the spot where Raizu's body has a stab wound. _Veera, place your paw on mine as well._ She does so, and Alexis begins an incantation I taught her myself. It was in an ancient language, one hardly known, about as well known as guns were in fact, which is very few. I start so smile. I drop the evil act completely, and snap my fingers. Draxik goes from standing at my side, to lying unconscious on the floor. I walk forward, holding up my shield still, and get something out of my pocket. Rachamim is still looking at me menacingly, but I don't care at this moment. I pull out a small bottle of pills and roll it along the floor to Rachamim.

"Take those and get to Steven, you know the route."

"Why?" He says, defiantly.

"Because his chip has been sensed."

"Oh shit, how long has it been?"

"Just go!" I say, and Rachamim runs off instantly. Not looking back. I walk over to Serena, knowing none of the threats are present anymore. Serena looks at me, or glares rather, and walks over to slap me.

"WHY DID YOU DO IT!?" She screams.

"Ow… so I wouldn't have to kill all of you."

"All of us? Why not!? YOU KILLED RAIZU!"

"Get a hold of yourself. I brought Alexis here because she can help, and I can help you all get what you want. Out of here, with Veera and Alexis, even Tempest, and be safe and sound."

_Okay, that wasn't so bad actually._ Speaks a telepathic voice from behind Serena. The three eeveelution pokémon walk over calmly, Raizu on Tempest's back, still unconscious, but no longer bleeding. _I thought that would be a lot worse. It just really hurt is all._

"I said that would be all that would happen." I say, and I point at a door on the opposite of side of the room. "Go down two halls, then take a left, and you'll come to a different entrance room you keep using. You probably won't see Rachamim for a while."

_What is going on?! Why are you helping us all of a sudden?!_ Asks Veera, accusingly.

"Fine, I'll explain it to you. I'll explain my little heart out. When I was small, just after Raizu was born, our father left the family, and took me with him. Mom never said anything to Raizu, god knows why, and he hardly knew about me apparently, but knew a bunch about dad. He was called away to be in Team Rocket, and wanted me to success him, as he was very unsure about leading them. Time passed, and talks with dad about Raizu were a normal discussion between dad and I, so I knew a lot more about him. A bit arrogant and stubborn. My dad liked that, and started to focus his attention on him. I didn't mind, and living with Team Rocket was basically a luxury life, no worries except an occasional job. But then I turned 17. I started leading missions, so that I could challenge Raizu for the spot of heir.

"But, he started making me do things I didn't want to do. At all. I'm not sure what it was, but he made me vow to do everything he commanded. I didn't like it at all, but I knew he could subdue me if he wanted to with force, and I simply made the vow. Magic in our families, Draxik's, and ours won't let us break a vow, or we basically die. It really sucks, so I did something to get out of this. If he was dead, no matter how long, as long as he died, that would make the vow null and void. You see, I-"

"This is very long, drawn, out and complicated, but you should look behind you right now!" Says Draxik, now up, with his sword drawn. I turn around and see my dad standing there. He is tall, wearing normal day clothes, which I am used to seeing him in. His hair is long and a dark red, eyes blue like Raizu's, and there is someone behind him. Deren.

"Oryu, what is going on?" He holds up a body of a rocket member. I don't recognize it at first, but Serena's scream makes me realize it is Rachamim.

"Augh… Don't call me that! EVER!" I yell. Draxik looks at me wide-eyed. "I hate that name and you, the one who gave it to me! I have my own name and I use that, so respect me and use it too!"

"I cannot respect anyone who defies me, I am the ultimate power here! Come back to me or you'll lose your life, along with all of these weaklings!"

"More power speeches? Spare me. First, you started making me test Raizu, and then tried to kill him, and I succeeded! Sure he's alive now, albeit unconscious. You're just some power-hungry idiot now keeping him away because he could do a better job than you."

"Ahahaha! You think you did a good job of defying me? Look behind you Oryu! Everyone has left!"

I spin around and see an empty room, albeit Draxik next to me. Dad continues, saying, "They don't trust you, after all you've done, you think they would pay attention to one, solitary deed?"

"Your speech is stupid and hopeless. I don't deny wanting this power, I LOVE IT!" Dad pulls a sword out of nowhere, a black-cloud appearing, then vanishing as the sword comes into existence. It looks like any other katana. "Raizu is here, everyone is here. I thought I could let you do the work, then I'd take care of you."

"Me? I thought you-"

"You thought I would want a inadequate son as a second in command? You can't even kill a 13 year old when you have every advantage and chance."

"I can't believe you!" Yells Draxik. "The other family isn't all to blame! You, not Raizu or Dark, YOU are the one to blame? You are the one who is the embodiment of the evil woman who started this curse that plagues both families! I'll remove you from existence right now. I don't care about what may happen afterwards, but if I miss this chance, I may live to regret it, and I don't want to do that." He charges at my dad, and I just look on, feeling torn up a bit on who to fight for. My family, or what is right. And as stupid as that sounds, family is a pretty tight bond.


	32. Chapter 32

32 

32

"So… we just left you two to fight it out?" I look to the wall for a second, trying to hide a few sad tears that are springing forth from my eyes.

"Yes. You all had left in a different direction than Rachamim, which is quite lucky-"

"He's really dead?" I ask.

"Yeah. You care?"

"Well…"

"According to your journal here, all he ever did was annoy the fuck out of you." Dark starts tapping his foot on the ground as if impatient, with Alexis sitting on the ground next to him, she looking around the room as if curiously looking for something.

"Sure, he was annoying. But he was part of the group, and our friend… and I don't like losing my friends…" I clench a fist that's against my side. "So, Draxik started the fight with dad, what happened next?"

"Well…"

My father brushes off Draxik's attack with one single swipe, sending him across the room against the wall. He hits the wall with his back, hard, he falls to the floor hard, not even taking the fall right. Dad hasn't even unleashed second level of his zanpakto; it's just some wimpy 3-foot katana.

Draxik gets off the floor and to his feet slowly. "Okay, that wasn't a good idea."

I keep my eyes glued on dad. I watch him. I keep watching. There's something…

I see it right away. Right then. "Damnit, GET AWAY FROM HIM!" I unleash second level, the sword taking on the heart-shape at the tip of the sword, almost like an Axe. I slash at Dad, and he doesn't move. For the better, as I slashed to his right. I jump back away, and he doesn't even react. He's still smirking at me.

"The hell was that for?" Asks Draxik, standing up now. "That was useless!"

"Just watch." I had dark energy around my sword, and it dissipates. It takes only a few seconds, but father begins to scream. He drops his sword and clutches his head, falling to his knees and swinging his body. Draxik instinctively jumps forward but I stop him. "Watch." Is all I say to get him to stand still. After a few seconds, I notice a grin come over his face.

A black blob of energy is coming out of dad. It can't form yet, and it falls to the floor, leaving father on the ground unconscious.

"IT IS!" Exclaims Draxik, almost laughing. "Not sure this is a good thing though."

"That Ninetails curse is a bitch, isn't it?"

"Is that the original curse… from Raizu?" He asks me.

"I have no idea, but it seems like the same thing. You didn't kill it and only exorcised, it didn't you?"

"So sue me, I didn't know the thing could even exist outside of a body!"

We both shut up as it starts to take a form. The blob is making sounds, indescribable squeaks and hisses, steam coming out, and the air growing cold around us. It keeps the same dark color, now tinted purple. It positions itself upright, and starts to form two arms, and legs. Ears pop up, and eyes start to form. Bright red eyes.

A gengar.

"The fuck-" is all I get out, as it rushes forward toward me, not even running so much as flying. I can't react fast enough, and just stand there completely open to anything it'll do.

When Draxik jumps in front of me.

The gengar hits him dead on in the chest, pouring itself into his body, through his skin, infesting his soul and taking over his body. I use a special kind of vision, my power, to watch it as it happens. I can't remove it now. I have to kill him.

"Ugh… Darkles…" His voice is raspy and ragged. He is smiling.

"My pet name? This isn't the time! I… have to kill you… I don't want-"

"Dude, we've been cool for a month, even if it was slightly forced… I did come to a realization."

"Okay, you're saying 'Dude,' what's wrong man?" I'm concerned for him, with reason. He's normally so formal; I can't get a grip on what he's thinking.

"This whole family feud thing… it never gets resolved. My dad only managed to kill a few of your uncles on your father's side, my parents are all dead, and any other relatives, and for what? Because some guy was an ass to a gengar and got raped by a girl? This has to end. This isn't how I wanted it to happen…"

I give him an inquisitive look. "Dark, I wanted to fight you one last time, for our families, which is why I charged at your father. I can take out Raizu-" I glare at him the instant he says that. "- and if your father was gone, it'd just be us two left. But now we have to fight like this, my body completely taken over by this… THING… but we're still having this fight. I can kill you, then your dad, then Raizu…"

"It won't come to that." I say. He stops talking, listening to me. "I won't let you do any more. I don't hate you, you were a brave comrade, but my family always will deserve my protection, despite what they may have done!"

He starts to chuckle, and I just watch him intently. "I have a few minutes of power left, I can hold off this thing from taking control, but tell me why you are doing this. What makes you want to just… be a good guy?"

"Why? Originally I hated Raizu. But then I saw his potential. He saved Veera from falling so many stories, I doubt I could have done something on that scale. He wants to disband Team Rocket, not try to achieve some twisted 'right' through it. He wants to avenge, and dad wanted Utopia. If there's one thing I learned in school…" I take a fighting stance and points my sword at him. "… is that you never side with someone who wants a Utopia. I couldn't do anything remotely 'good' until I got around that little vow that I couldn't break without potential killing myself."

"I like that. This fight shall be one to remember." He pings, and his eyes go white. I can tell he still sees me though, the spirit merged with his bent on killing me and all on-comers. He will fight me, then kill dad, and Raizu, that much I know, as he goes with Draxik's most pure convictions, and he just made it clear he wants to end this feud, this curse on both our families.

--

Draxik charges forward with his sword hilt toward and close to his body. He stops about 10 feet away though, and I shift my position to a normal stance, the sword pointing diagonally up from my waist, right foot pointed at him. He takes the same stance and looks at me with those bright white eyes. I keep my eyes on him though, until I notice a stance change in his feet. He wants me to charge. I oblige and shuffle my steps as I scoot forward, covering the 10 feet in less than a second. He keeps still, but shoot's off a shadow ball at me, the sphere of dark energy hurled at my face. I hardly have the time to swing my sword at it, cutting it and making it vanish, and aim a stab at his thigh. He jumps back out of the way and swings his sword at me from above. I go up to meet him, and we find each other at a stale mate. We start walking in circles, keeping our swords pinned against each other between us, keeping the other from pushing through and slashing the other's chest.

"Give… up…" I manage to squeeze out.

He chuckles at me, and he jumps back, my sword staying in the same position, up and ready for another attack. I start to lower it, and he charges at me, this time using a shadow claw from a horizontal strike, to gain a few extra feet of range. I hit his sword away, but the shadow claw rips through my thigh. If he had aimed any higher…

I focus on stopping the bleeding while he looks at me, circling to find a weak point. I keep a defensive stance though, my sword still down. He makes a crucial mistake though, and runs at me with his sword up in the air. I step toward my right, or his left, and simply put up my sword, impaling him through the stomach.

"This wasn't a fight, you can't fight for shit. It should have been Draxik." I aim my free palm at him and activate a magic. Eventually, Draxik begins screaming like dad did, and he falls down, bleeding heavily and coughing only a little. What little strength he has must be taken by the curse spirit… he isn't going to make it. I swear at the spirit, the blob now floating in the air again, and glare at it. "Now you're gone from this world. Hopefully, you'll stop existing as is. OVERHEAT!" I call out, as I focus all the energy of the powerful fire attack into the tip of my sword, and stab the blob. It starts to simply disintegrate, vanishing in mere seconds. I then turn my attention to Draxik, who's managed to get himself on his back.

"Wow, that was really pathetic." I say to him.

"Well, I knew I couldn't let myself win; I held back my own knowledge of sword from the thing…" He tries to grin, and gives me a thumbs up.

"Huh." Is all I can say. I can't think of much more to say at such a moment. Enemies become slight friends over about a month, then having to fight each other to the death? Not much can be said, truly.

"You know… I could do one more thing. For Raizu, as I have enough life to do something. Please, hold my hand, I need a little bit of energy."

"Anything." I grab it, and he closes his eyes to concentrate. I can feel him draining some energy, but the amount is miniscule. He opens his eyes and looks at me.

"I can change my body, into something that Raizu will want. I'll die, but I think he'll care more about this." He closes his eyes one last time, and I feel his grip vanish. I can't cry, it wasn't something I do. But I do feel some kind of loss. His body slowly vanishes, disintegrating, looking almost incorporeal before vanishing completely. I look around, and wait a few seconds.

Then, after those few seconds, I can see something forming. It isn't solid right away, but I can already recognize it's form. I smile. Suddenly, a voice sounds in my head, and it's Draxik. I know he isn't speaking to me, so I just listen.

Sorry it took me so long to find this spirit… he seemed to have found someone, but he'll prefer being alive. Once he evolves back up, he'll have all his memory. Until then, he's only a child. Good-bye…

I nod, not knowing whether or not he could have seen, and walk off, the package in hand.

I look away sadly. "God-damnit."

"What's up?" He says. Dark sounds like he cares.

"All this bullshit hardly makes sense, and why'd you leave off right there? What did he do?"

"Cool it."

"NO! Where is Serena? And I just realized I have none of my pokéballs with me! All I have is my sword… Hell, why am I here with you?"

"Oh, Serena left, with all of your pokémon."

I raise my eyebrow at him. "Why would she-"

"She was scared Raizu. Our family isn't one to be trifled with, and she probably realized that. Knowing her, she wanted to keep them safe to, so she took off with them. I found you in my room, don't ask why or how she got you here. I haven't a clue."

"But… she knows how close Veera and I are, why would she-"

"I'm only guessing Raizu, I'm not sure at all." He looks at Alexis and holds out a pokéball. "We never formally caught you, would you like to go with Raizu?"

Of course I would. As if I would go with anyone else. Before she goes into it for me to keep, she looks at me with serious eyes. I almost want to fall over. Please though, we must find Veera again. I never got to formally speak with her, and I got separated in our escape from the chamber. If I agree to go, then we must work toward finding them.

"Duh, I'll do my best. Serena is my girl-friend, I can't just let her go and steal my pokémon because she thinks she knows what's best for me."

She nods, and enters herself into the pokéball. I put it on my waist, pick up my backpack, and head out the door, but Dark stops me. "You forgot your sword."

"I don't want that thing."

"Why not?"

"Pfft. It is the only thing I have that Draxik gave me. He's dead, and you killed him. I see that, and that's all I can remember; I don't want anything to do with it." I reach for the door, but he actually cuts me off this time instead of just grabbing me, and holds me back.

"What now?"

"You aren't curious as to what Draxik left you?"

"I could care less."

"Are you sure?" He reaches into his robe ever so casually and pulls out an egg. Not an egg for eating, that could fit in your hand, but a much larger one with some random colored pattern on in. A pokémon egg.

"Is that-"

"What Draxik left you, yes. I think I know who it is too."

I nod, and tears well up. Real ones. "Markus…"

"I'm coming with you. Dad will awaken soon, and members will fill him in on what he was doing if he for some reason can't remember, but Draxik remembered fine. I'm sure he'll work toward the right thing again. I'll be more useful traveling with you. After all, I can't learn everything about my brother from a little book."

"Get rid of it." I say brashly.

He's caught off guard. "Say what?"

"My journal. Burn it. What if authorities somehow come to suspect me? I'm a minor, and they can just search me as they please, and I'm fucked if they see what I've done in there."

"If you say so." He walks over to the desk, picks up the black journal, edges worn, metal rings of the 300 page book bend and hardly holding, and burns it.

"Good. You sure you want to come?"

"Yes, and I'll leave the sword here for dad." He pats it as if it were an animal. "You know, I don't think Draxik will appreciate what he's done for you if you just leave his one memento behind."

I sigh. "Fine, I'll take it. But I do so not liking it."

"Ha!" He picks up the scabbard, the sword sheathed inside, and tosses it to me. I catch it and put it on my left waist, opposite where Alexis now rests.

"Let's go." I say. I open the door, and look outside. It was downtown Celadon City. "Wait, your home is outside the base?"

"Dad comes to it every once in a while. He likes getting away from his job." He walks out and looks around. A few people stare at the two, seemingly twins albeit the hair color, both with swords at their side, and one wearing a large, black, majestic robe.

"First order of business?" I ask. I'm not sure what to expect, I've never had free time like this, I was always busy or worrying. And I was never with my brother either.

"Food, I'm damned hungry."

--

Two days later. Quite a jump right? And you thought you were reading my journal.

Anyway, we're just camping out a few days short of Vermillion City. Through some hacking skills that Dark has (god knows where he learned that), we actually found that she bought some boat tickets to Sinnoh. Why she was going there I have no idea, but I intend to follow her. I will get Veera back, and the rest of my team as well. She doesn't have the right to do this to me.

I am not entirely angry at her. She panicked, it isn't a big deal, but I will confront her on it. I just hope everyone is doing fine, and not hating her much.

It's in the middle of the night. Dark is alone, and Alexis is sleeping next to me. I'm lying on my back and staring up at the night sky, when my phone rings. I hardly remembered I had a phone, so it took me 4 rings to actually pick it up. "Y'ello?" I have become so informal nowadays, as the only person I talk to really is Dark, and he can be so fun loving and unserious, that I've picked up on the habits.

"Ah, hello Raizu… I'm glad I can call you."

I sigh. The voice isn't familiar, and the cough in between the comments implies illness. "Who is this? Hell, I still don't know this number."

"I am… the Jenny that cursed you."

I go wide-eyed. I remember this exact conversation. Jenny… was dead, what the hell is this? The voice is different, but the coughing is at the same intervals.

"I need to say something. Before you get angry with me, I wasn't told you were just a pokémon abuser. What I was told was far worse. That made me go to extreme lengths and now you may die a lot sooner than was intended by god."

"Hey, shut the fuck up and tell me who you are, and why you're doing this."

"Oh god, Raizu, I don't know, just help me… This is Da-" I hear the voice muffled, some yelling, then the phone goes off.

_Wait… DAWN!?_

8


	33. Dark Ambitions

Dark Ambitions

_Dark Ambitions_

By: David Koch

I sit my sleeping bag, not sleeping, the cool night breeze brushing against me. I should be sleeping though, but I can't. Something feels different tonight. Dark, Alexis, and I are all camped outside of Canalave City. That's where we'll find Serena, along with the others.

Suddenly, I hear a noise. It's sudden, and cracking, like a branch outside on the ground was stepped on.

_Alexis, did you hear anything?_ I think, hoping my friend on watch is paying close attention. She never goes against her word, and she said she would keep watch tonight. Being hunted isn't a safe situation to be in.

_Nothing, Raizu._

_I heard something, are you positive?_

_Very much so. Go back to sleep._

I decide to take her word for it. I'm tired, and I haven't gotten much rest lately. Yeah, that's it, I'm just jumpy. Being chased makes for a very insecure feeling no matter where you are.

--

I wake up, a little tired still. First thing I do is check the sleeping bag next to me. I keep the egg in there, in hopes that what Dark has told me really is true, that when it hatches, the Riolu will be Markus' reincarnation…

The egg is still there. With that in mind, I pack up everything, and get out of the clearing and head to the main path that leads to Canalave. When I arrive, Dark is standing, ready to leave, with Alexis sleeping on the ground next to him. When I come out from the trees, she wakes up instantly and tries to stand to attention, but she's a bit too tired to even stay on her feet. _I should stop making her do night watch, I can do fine…_

"You can sleep Alexis, you did well last night."

She nods. _I looked around camp early this morning, and found nothing. You sure you heard something?_

"I heard it too." Says Dark. We both look at him and he shrugs innocently. "You didn't mask your thoughts, and I heard something about the same time... like a crack."

I nod. "Well, I still have all my stuff, so let's just head into town. You mind going into the ball, Alexis?

_Please, I'm damn tired… _She falls over, almost asleep. I return her, the red flash shooting out to catch her and pull her back in, safe and ready to sleep.

Dark and I start walking toward the front gate to the city, which is more of a guardhouse. There are precautions inside to keep out criminals, since if the one of two huge port cities of the continent has port trouble, the whole continent has trouble.

"How will we get in if the guards know we're criminals?" I ask.

"Do they? How long did it take of news from Kanto to reach Sinnoh that we were wanted, despite it being world news? Only one city even knew we were wanted." Dark explains. "I saw we just waltz on in."

"Sure, whatever." I head in ahead of him, and he follows closely behind me. The guards are sitting around, and one waves at us as we walk on by. Their uniforms are matching, but they don't seem to be matching in activity. One seems to be doing work on the computer, feverishly typing and glancing at documents on the desk next to him, oblivious of all outside distractions; two are playing card games, and the fourth is watching the door, and is the one who waved. We wave back, somewhat nervous, but we're sure we aren't suspected of anything by the time we get outside the building.

The city has simple, paved sidewalks and paved streets, and houses along side the streets. There are yards behind the houses closer to the edge of the city, but the houses on the inside lack any lawn. It's completely paved everywhere.

"This feels weird… Hey, that must be the bridge!" I point past some houses at a huge structure, and past that are commercial-style buildings. "She lives in an apartment right?"

"That's what the source said…" reaffirms Dark.

"How can we trust this source? First you tell me that you just hacked around, then you say a few days after arriving here, that you have a contact?"

"I've probably already told you too much, just know that we can trust the person more than you can trust me. They're very secretive."

"That's very discomforting, since you won't even disclose a gender… wait, there's more than one person?"

"No, I used third person plural for unknown gender."

"Why?"

"Just shut up and lets go look for Serena. You need to rescue Veera you know."

I don't respond, and we keep walking. I'm still only wearing black shorts, and a now a simple black T-shirt, with my blue hair cut so it only goes to my neck. Dark is wearing his black robe, lined a dark red on the inside, and keeps his clawed glove, his dark red hair going far down his back. Abby said we looked the same, but silly generalizing ninetales, we look similar. Any person could easily see why we'd be brothers, but saying we're twins is too far. We both have the same eyes, and hair is the same except for color. I've never seen the resemblance, but then, what kids to see the similarities among themselves?

After a few minutes, we reach the bridge, and just before crossing, I hear a voice. "Oh, yes, I'm saved…"

I look around quickly. It wasn't a mental voice; I definitely heard it from someone nearby. "Dark, did you just hear something?"

"Well, some pokémon just made a sound from that side road over there." He points behind me at a brick road, one that looks older than other parts of the city. I run there with no explanation and look around.

"Hey, is someone here?" I call out. "Hello?"

"Over here, dumb fuck."

I turn my head toward a garage, and a jolteon starts crawling out from behind it_. Oh lord…_ "T-tempest!?"

"Oh hi. How have you been?" He says. He's bleeding significantly from his side, a small hole releasing a lot of blood.

"God, what happened?"

"Oh, don't flatter me. Anyway, Serena was out walking around, and I never really…" he coughs and tries to stand, but he falls promptly.

"Okay, just shut up and I'll get you to a center." I run over pick him up, and run back down the street, away from the bridge and toward the center.

"Thanks… Raizu. I thought you might have hated me or something for what I did to Veera… but… you are kind…"

"Don't you start flattering me." I run in, the doors opening by themselves. Joy isn't around but the chancey are, taking Tempest away on a stretcher. I start walking around, pacing, wondering how Tempest is going to be. _That wound… it was a small hole that was bleeding. No attack does that… it was a bullet wound._

Dark comes in moments later, walking calmly, and I run up to him so close that he almost falls back. "Are there Rocket members in Sinnoh?!"

"We haven't stationed any here. Team Galactic causes enough trouble."

"What do they do exactly?"

"They seek to recreate the world their own way, through science and manipulation and understanding of pokémon powers, but not necessarily the creatures themselves. They've tried to awaken Arceus, but not everyone can just talk to god. They're religious, but understand the potential of understanding the world and how we came to be, the laws. Science plus religion… is quite the force."

"Sound's bad."

"Well, they are. They do kill relentlessly anyone who gets in their way, so Rocket stays out of their way. We have no reason to get involved anyway. Galactic hates the imperfect world, and their leader claims to be perfect."

"Of course…"

"Cyrus isn't one you'd want to get involved with. He's totally emotionless and believes he's better than anyone else for this lack of emotion, as he believes that anger, grief, and emotions in general limit living beings."

"Okay, enough of the current events lesson." I sigh and sit down. "I just hope Tempest'll be all right."

"Oh, he'll be fine. He's Tempest!"

"So reassuring!" I say, sarcastic beyond belief. "I guess they have guns. Fucking great." I look down and away from Dark, and he just sits down on the bench, next to me.

After a few minutes, Nurse Joy walks out from behind a door to where the wounded pokémon are kept. "You brought in that Jolteon right?" She says, looking in my general direction.

"Oh, yes I did. Tempest. His wound…" I get up, my eyes looking tired, "It's a gun shot. I'm sure you even recognized that."

"Why wouldn't I recognize that?"

I look at her weirdly. "What?"

"Are guns rare or something where you come from?" She looks at me straight, like she's angry.

"Um… Yeah. Nobody knows about guns."

"You're weird. Well, he's going to be fine in a day or so, he just has to get that side sewn up. He had some impressive will-power, it's amazing he didn't die of blood loss." She walks back into the emergency room area.

"Tempest… is amazing?" I look at Dark. He only shakes his head at me. I sigh. I get out a small device from my back pack, an MP3 player. _Time to listen to some classical music…_


	34. Chapter 34

34 

34

As the old-but-not-forgotten Mozart plays, it takes me up from my worries and sitting here in the center, and I get to thinking. _Joy… she said that she knew about guns. Are they common outside of Kanto? No body even knows about them… Could the government have…_

My thought process is stopped by a pokémon entering into the center. A wild-looking Zangoose jumps in, low to the ground, looking around and sniffing continuously. It looks at us quickly, then around as if not interested. It motions with its claws for someone to enter. Curious, I look. To my surprise, a Lucario enters. It's not his entry that is surprising, but his fur color. His abdomen and mid body are dark blue, and the rest of his fur, besides the black stripes of steel, are yellow. It is a shiny Lucario. What is more odd is that it was carrying another Lucario as he enters slowly. This one is purple all over except for the black steel stripes, and happens to be unconscious. _Perhaps they're mates… and for the purple one's sake I hope she's a girl…_

Nurse Joy comes out almost as soon as they come in, no doubt having received some kind of telepathic message from the Lucario, and she goes running over. As soon as she reaches them, something weird starts happening. Dark gets up immediately, grabs me, and runs over to the group. I am trying to get to my feet and removed my headphones to my neck as he drags me along. As we got close, the Zangoose stops our approach almost immediately.

It hisses at us almost, and says under its breath, "Do not come any closer to my family." It has its claws up in some weird stance that will let them come down at any time.

I tell Dark what he said (the voice obviously male), and he looks at him, and sternly states, "If you don't let me see the yellow Lucario, we are all going to die. I must hold his hand."

I am very confused, but the intensity of his statement makes me want to let go of him. As I loosen, he grabs me harder. "Do not let go Raizu." He holds his hand out for the Lucario, the Zangoose now to the side but looking closely. He puts down the female Lucario slowly, and holds it out.

_What is your name?_ He asks, the telepathy ringing out for all of us to hear.

"I am Dark, and my brother here is Raizu." Responds Dark. "I am about to tap into your aura powers, one that I can see that are very unique to you, to protect this center and our lives. Do you understand me.

_Yes, but I do not understand._

"You don't need to." Says Dark. "Raizu, you are going to feel some pain, but don't let go."

"What?" I ask, completely confused.

"Joy, shut all the shutters to this building." Dark commands.

"The hell I will! What if pokémon that are wounded come through!?"

"We'll all be dead if you don't, just do it."

His intensity almost makes her shudder, and she reluctantly agrees. She walks to the desk and taps some keys on the keyboard and the shutters all shut, the only light now the fluorescent bulbs from the ceiling high above.

"Okay you two," Dark says to myself and the shiny Lucario. "Hold on, and do not let go, or else your life ends here and now." He turns to me. "You must hold on most of all."

"Stop freaking me out." I say.

He ignores me, and looks up. He closes his eyes, and yells "LIGHT SCREEN!" Upon the yell, a sound is heard outside, like some huge object just landed around us.

_What was that?! _ Asks the Lucario.

"The Light Screen I just made." He opens his eyes and looks up. "Fuck, it's here…"

"What?" I ask, impatient.

"Silence." He commands. I shut up and listen. For a minute, nothing happens.

Then a crash, a boom, and a disturbing roar of wind passing over the center. I hardly realize what it is, my ears refuse to hear any more sound and I fall to my knees, my hand still held by Dark. Then, something hit's me from the front. It hits all of us as we all are sent flying into the wall, Dark the only one still standing. My ears gradually stop ringing, but the force still feels like it's pushing against me. _What… There's nothing in front of me… what is going on!? _The lights flash off instantly, and I can't see anything. The pain in my chest caused by this unexplained pressure is my first priority though, as I try to stand up. I look up, unable to see anything, and get my free hand to the wall to push myself up. Then, something like a wind hits me from behind, pushing me, and us, all forward. _This is too weird._

Then it happens. My ears start to ring with screams. Humans screaming in pain, agony, despair. A force starts hitting me from above, and pushes me down to the ground as the screaming takes over my mind. I try to let go of Dark, to cover my ears, to block this horrid sound, but he refuses to let go. I close my eyes and sit there, painfully and unable to even think. Then a different feeling falls on me: I'm on fire.

I open my eyes instantly, and look around. I can see, but barely, the sensation of extreme heat covering my whole body. I want to scream, but the sight takes my breath away. What I see is no longer the center, but the city. A fiery inferno, only the wreckage of the city left. I look to my left, and I still feel Dark holding my hand, but I don't see him. I don't see anyone. I look around, buildings on fire, explosions everywhere, and even a crater near the center of the city. _Nothing is recognizable, and nothing resembles something society could have created. It's pure chaos; nothing alive, everything engulfed in a fire… and what's this other feeling? This… it's like I'm getting bombarded by small particles on all sides… heat maybe? Oh god, the screaming again…_

It takes over once again, my window of thought gone. The pain shoots through my legs, back, chest, head, neck, and it all feels directed right at my heart and lungs. I cough, feeling completely dehydrated, my lungs heated up, and the lack of oxygen suffocates me. The pain reaches my heart and lungs, and I feel my heart skip a beat, and I fall over completely losing all feeling. Except for my left hand, still held firmly in Dark's grasp.

3


	35. Chapter 35

35

35

My eyes open up slowly, after going through a phase that wasn't even a black out, but something just as bad as one. I could feel time passing, but I couldn't move, feel, hear, I was only aware that I was lying down on something, my left hand still held by Dark.

I get up slowly, tired and feel like just lying down and sleeping, but I need to find out what just happened. Did I survive some kind of attack? Were those someone else's eyes? Could it have been a vision? And those screams were just disturbing, what caused them? _There is way too much I don't get about this situation… especially who is that Lucario?…_

I look for a light, and I see a small lamp, with everyone crowded around it, making barely enough light to make everyone out. There are also many candles around the center, on the floor and even on a table. I walk over slowly and see the shiny Lucario cradling the purple Lucario's head in his lap, she still unconscious, the Zangoose with them just watching. Joy is sitting down, looking very worried, and Dark is sitting down on the ground, looking very tired. I walk to him and tap him on the shoulder, and he turns his head to me. "Oh, you're up…"

"What the fuck just happened?!" I blurt out. "We were holidng hands, then all of a sudden the force hits us, and I start seeing all this crap about the city, and it looks on fire and stuff-"

"What happened outside of the center is something none of us should ever see, for both our physical sake and our mental sake. It is unlucky you had to, Raizu." He responds calmly.

"Okay, but what WAS that!? It was like a bomb or something…"

"That is exactly what it was. A nuclear bomb."

I start to ramble on again, and the news takes several seconds to sink in. When it does, I fall over suddenly. _We survived a nuclear blast while on ground zero. I saw it. Almost all the people in that city… will be dead, generations of families will be horribly ruined and disfigured…_ "Who launched that bomb, Dark?"

"Kanto, I believe."

"Kanto?…"

"They have reason too now, also." Dark sighs. "I told Joy of our status, but she doesn't care. After the government was somehow informed of our ties to Team Rocket, Kanto started chasing us." Explains Dark.

"Don't remind me…" I look away and give a heavy sigh. "That was horrible. We couldn't even get into a town."

"We fled here to Sinnoh, via a teleport that I preformed. We know Dawn is here on the continent, and that Serena is also. She was in this city. We landed in Celestic Town, where it appeared that authorities were after us."

"Yeah, they chased us to Floaroma Town."

"Now, they weren't chasing us. They had actually gotten a lead on Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic. We were just in the general direction, and thought to be associated with him, for some reason. Our names were cleared though, by a disturbing occurrence in Kanto." He ends rather abruptly, and I take advantage to start speaking. "What could happen? 'Long as mom is okay." I reassure myself.

"How do you know she's alive?"

"You aren't one to kill her, and you had no reason to. You told me that to get me in shock back at Rocket base."

"Right, well, fine then." He sticks his tongue out at me. _Same old Dark, glad this serious event hasn't changed him much._ "Anyway, in Kanto… somehow, information about our status was leaked to the general public, and in some freak coincidence, there was evidence to prove that Kanto was working with Rocket. The government and Rocket had teamed up."

_That actually might explain how no one in silph co. seemed to care about us when we were climbing up, and how little police effort there was after we jumped. It would also explain the curse and how that situation spun out of control. _"I still don't understand."

"Well, other countries already disliked Kanto, and with evidence tied to Rocket, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Orre even, all banned against them. War is probably going to be raged soon, and Kanto took the first strike. Sinnoh has some of the strongest trainers in the world, so it took it's opportunity to strike the main port city." He sighs in distress. "But now this isn't going to be a war with trainers, it's going to be a guns and bombs battles. This war will be like one we haven't had in centuries."

"Guns?" I say, surprised.

"Yes, Raizu. Kanto is, while sort of a successful communist state, it still censored the hell out of stuff. Guns were eventually banned, so information YOU know was even false, and you looked up stuff, since guns were never taught."

"That's why Joy wasn't-"

"If you had mentioned you were from Kanto, I would have known what to expect." Joy interrupts. "We are taught Kanto is a bad place to live. Not physically, but you just seem to live off the "ignorance is bliss" statement, the government hardly telling you anything. You expect that the world is peaceful, and a great damn place to live. It's not."

"Nurse Joy, you seem kind of-"

"Stop calling me that, damnit. I don't think this place is even working, considering what Dark here did to it. Which reminds me, I'll go retrieve your Jolteon, he should be awake, and probably confused as hell, right now." She gets up, takes a candle, and leaves the current room.

"This is all hard to take at once Dark… but the nuke happening I can accept. I at least know what THAT is…"

"Well, we're safe, so no worries." He reassures, a smile crawling onto his face.

"What? We're on ground zero! Is your Light Screen protecting us still?"

"No. But we aren't where the bomb exploded."

"Huh? Where are we then? This is the center isn't it?"

"Yeah. I teleported it all." He says proudly.

"Wow." I say, sort of amazed, but still not caring.

"We're on Iron Island."

"That's great… WAIT!" I run up to him and grab him in such a ferocity that the other pokémon look up at us. "Serena! Was she in the city!? Did that explosion… kill her?"

"Nope. My source says she was at Iron Island."

"This source is very resourceful." I say, suspicious.

"Don't worry, you can trust… her." He smiles. I let go of him and sit down.

_Are you all right?_ Asks the Lucario suddenly. He looks up at me straight in the eye, concern shining off the light from the lamp.

I sigh and nod. "Yes, thanks. I'm Raizu Kawashima, do you have a name?"

_I'm Wraith. This is my mate, Helen, and my Father, Erak._

"Glad to meet you. I'll leave you guys alone, but if there had been a different situation, I might have tried to catch you."

_If only you knew that you couldn't…_

"What does that mean?"

He narrows his eyes at me and looks away. I sigh, then hear something else, a private channeled though. _Dark didn't tell you something that he told me… it isn't possible for you to catch me, but we must remain allies._

_Why?_

_All in due time. Dark will tell you, and you'll see why our lives are already intertwined more than you could possibly know._


	36. Chapter 36

36

36

We emerge from the Pokémon Center, Tempest walking beside me, wounded but able to walk. Alexis walking along as well, looking very concerned after I told her what happened. Joy, Helen, and Erak decide to stay at the center, since it still has food and Jolteon gave a slight power supply that should keep the electricity going.

"Dark, where are we planning on going?" I ask.

"Into the caves, there's no where else she could really be…" He answers.

"Fine." I frown. "Why would she be hear?" I wonder out loud.

"Touring or something probably, maybe catching pokémon."

Wraith flinched when catching pokémon was mentioned. _Please don't say that around me…_

"Hmmmm?" Dark looks at him. "Why not?"

We reach the stairs that lead to the cave entrance, and start our climb up. _Catching… a trainer almost took Helen from me. I do not have a favorable view of trainers._ Explains Wraith.

"Oh, I see…" Says Raizu.

_Have you… caught… any pokémon…?_

"Uh, no. I actually haven't. Most of mine were given or I rescued."

_Rescued?_

"Allow me to explain…"

--

We walk for a long time, having started my story with the curse, and ending at how we arrived at the center. He's amazed at what I've done, and when I mentioned Markus, he cringed. _Another Lucario, huh?…_ He had interrupted.

"Well, I have an egg which is going to be his reincarnation, but I'll get to that eventually." Was my response as I continued the story.

When I finish, he looks at me with a small smile. _That is truly amazing._

I just look at him and feel a ping of grief. I can't even respond. _All the shit that's happened and he says that my journey, and life, are amazing. _I think. _Right, lets just find Serena._

As we get farther down, taking caves, dug out stair wells, and going past all the equipment, it starts getting very dark. Nearby lights are almost out, with little power. The ground is sturdy, and walls are not loose. Rocks are everywhere, and Iron seems at a loss. For some reason, no pokémon approach us, at all. When we see the occasional one, it backs off into the shadows.

I start to tire of the darkness after 15 minutes. "Lets go find what powers these lights, I can barely see."

"Well, sir and master, where do **you** think we should look?" Asks Jolteon, with some lip.

"I've been following these cords that connect all the lights." I say, pointing up. "They 'ended' where we came in, and started overlapping in the opposite direction we're going, where we came down on this floor. The other direction of this hall way will eventually lead to the generator."

"Oh, you're so clever." He starts walking in that direction and so do Alexis and I. She's completely silent and just following us with no real expression, except concern. Probably for Veera. _We'll find you soon Veera… We'll get you and find out why Serena took you and Abby and Shimmer away from me…_

We eventually reach the machine, some horrid old machine that hardly looks like it's working. It's only as big as me, since all it did was run light bulbs, but we're cautious anyway in getting Jolteon to restore it to full power. As soon as he does, the lights all flash, and reach their optimal brightness. As the lights blind us for a split second, I notice something. A small passage way to the left of the generator, which I didn't see earlier. A silhouette of some person slipping away. It was of a woman, and she retreated very quickly.

Something makes me dart of running down the side path. Disregarding the calls of my friends, I head off by myself, thinking I can catch up with this person. The path is rough, and I almost trip a few times, but I regain my balance by using the rock walls on either side of me. In minutes, I come out of the path into a little chamber. At the other side of the chamber… is Serena.

Her hair is a very light blonde, on the borderline of a shimmering white. Her hair is let down as well, reaching down her back. She also is wearing her white trench coat, a white shirt, and some kind of white pants. It is a material I've never seen before. What's weird though, is that she's staring right at me blankly, and there isn't a single dot of dirt on her clothes. She just ran down a narrow, rock passageway, with loose dirt and rocks everywhere, and she's totally white.

"Serena?…" I ask, hesitant for some reason.

"'Ello Raizu. What's up?" She says, nonchalantly.

"Oh, phew. I thought something was wrong-" I'm interrupted as a man comes up from behind me and grabs me. I can't see him, but he has me in a figure-four lock, his arms intertwined in the shape of a 4 around my neck and arm, ready to break my arm at any time, should I resist.

"Oops, I see you can't talk right now. Let me introduce you to my friend here, even if you can't see him." A smile creeps onto her face. "This is Cyrus. Say hi Raizu."


	37. Chapter 37

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Before I even realize what is happening, Cyrus lets out a scream and lets go of me. I gasp for breath and rub my neck, his tight grip still felt as if he is still holding on to me. I look back and see Tempest there behind me, as if he just bit him. He probably just did.

"Thanks Tempest." I say under my breath. He just looks past me and keeps growling. I look forward and see Serena pointing a gun at us.

"You have to realize, this is the real world, not some stupid fantasy of yours, Raizu." She says to me, in a condescending manner. "You can't just have your little sword to save you. Big boys us guns." She looks at Jolteon specifically. "You say one word to Raizu and the next shot won't be in your leg."

"That… was you Serena?" I say, amazed.

"Yes. You think I'm still on your side?" She laughs at me. "I've been with Sinnoh for quite some time. And with Galactic." She hangs an arm around Cyrus. His cold stare, icy blue-green hair, and white/black uniforms, give him an air of authority.

He turns his head slowly to Serena. "Why is the Jolteon not allowed to speak?"

"Just as you can tell, he can listen." She smiles.

"Ah." He answers, keeping his hands behind his back as he keeps looking forward at me.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, a little confused.

"You'll find out soon enough. But for now, you'll have to come with us Raizu." Cyrus begins walking forward on the cue of Serena's sentence. Jolteon growls, but I unexpectedly return him to my pokéball.

"Serena… if you want this… I'll come with you." I spread my hands out, flat, away from my sides.

"Silly, I don't like you, never did. But you're help would be appreciated." She sighs. "Get it through your head, I don't like you, and I wasn't on your side."

"I don't care. I still like you, and you helped me out before. Now, I'll return the favor. What should I do for you?"

Cyrus turns his head to Serena and makes a smirk. "I like this kid, he's just what we need."

"Oh, don't worry hun, you all need him." She puts the gun to his neck. He's completely stunned, and just freezes. She smiles.

"Serena, how did I know that you were just a double agent on my side?" I say, acting sarcastic so that Cyrus thinks that I was aware of this the entire time.

"Raizu, don't be stupid. I'm not doing this for you. Cyrus has to go now." She keeps the gun to his head as she walks around him, she in front of him now, and shoves the gun in to his fore head, pushing him up and away from us. "There's a small side path, and you know what you have to do. Leave."

"Serena… you always did have odd purposes for what you did. But you must realize, I saw this coming." He looks at her longingly. "Serena…"

"Leave, or I will shoot you and our world will go to hell."

He leaves nearly instantly, something coming in from behind him, and both of them disappearing.

I run up to Serena, grab and hug her. "I've missed you so much."

"Yeah, I missed you too a little. He's horribly cynical, but leaves absolutely no soft spots for people. You do." She winks. "I do like you Raizu, but there's someone else I like more…" She looks past me and I turn around. Everyone has just come down the path, and Dark is leading the way. I'm miffed by her blonde hair as she swiftly walks past me and into Dark's open arms. My jaw drops.

"Hey, I'm not that much older than you or her." He says. He shrugs. "She's also my contact by the way."


	38. The Fatal Five

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As soon as she landed in his arms, questions started swirling in my head. Ever since that phone call I had received back in Kanto… where Dawn quoted the conversation I had with Officer Jenny just before she died… I knew something was wrong. _What stories were false? Who has lied to me? Maybe Rachamim isn't dead? Then there's Serena… who is she with? Are all of our conversations lies? Does she love me at all? Besides that, who did capture Dawn? Was she being used to lure me out?_

_Finally… my powers. The answer is right in front of me. Dark knows, Wraith knows, and Serena knows. No one tells me though. Am I not trust worthy? Am I not cared for? Heh, well, fuck them._

I walk over to Serena. "Give me my pokémon back. You took unrightfully took them from me."

"Yeah yeah…" She takes them off her belt and hands them to me. "Alexis, Veera, Abby, her daughter Shimmer… and you have Tempest. There. You have all five of your pokémon."

"I have Markus too." I state with no emotion. I return Alexis quickly, who followed Dark and Wraith down after me.

"How? Isn't… he… um, Raizu…?" She looks away. He saw a hint of saddness in her eyes. _She may think she doesn't care, but maybe she still does. Despicable._

"I have a pokémon egg that'll be his resurrected form. He'll become a strong Lucario again, don't you worry." I look away. "He'll be back… my friend…" I start to walk off past them as I mumble. _Markus… I want you back now…_

"Raizu," says Dark, grabbing my arm. "Where are you going?"

"Away from all of you." I shake my arm from him suddenly. "Don't follow me. I just want alone time with my pokémon."

I just go up the path, ignoring Wraith, Dark, and Serena. They try to follow me, but I just start running, and it's obvious none of them can keep up. I reach the outside of the cave in no time, heading out back the entrance. I see some rocks on the side of the entrance that make an easy climb, and go up, maybe 30 feet, and walk over to the center of the small flat top of the cave. It's almost like a small mountain, with the top only slightly higher than me. The area up here is surprisingly flat, as if it was made for someone to look out over the nearby ocean and relax.

Then I realize what I should be looking at.

I spin around and look at the destroyed city. It's distant, but red fires can still be seen on this cloudy day, and a huge, dark, mushroom-shaped cloud towers over the city. I cannot see any resemblance of a buildings anymore, it's disturbing.

_Well, I don't know them, I don't care. Hehe, I'm sure Kanto will be punished for this transgression…_ I think.

I reach for my waist and take off a pokéball. I'm not even sure who is in it, but I release whoever is inside. The red flash appears on the ground, and I see Veera form before me. I'm almost to tears when she comes out completely. White fur with large white wings, she still has deep purple eyes that most eevees have. Her tail looks like a puff of a cloud.

"Oh… Veera…" I say.

"Is… Raizu? You… Alive? Oh my god you are alive! It's you, oh I knew she was lying to us!" She runs up to me and jumps at me. I catch her and swing around so I can allow myself to fall backward onto the ground, and not over the edge. She keep licks my face over and over and mumbles quickly about how much she missed me and wanted to see me again all this time.

"Okay Veera, I get you." I laugh and let her get off of me. I release everyone, and they all greet each other again. Abby and Shimmer are healthy, as is Veera, and those two greet me with a warm smile and by giving a passive hello. Shimmer even said my name!

As everyone talks, Veera and Tempest keeping close, as Veera talks to Alexis about what happened, I sit back and enjoy the sky. Sure it's cloudy, but at least I don't have to look at that horrid aftermath that decimated the city.

I hear rocks tumble down the side of the cliff to my side and I look up. I find Wraith beside me, sitting on the ground. "Hi."

_Are these your pokémon?_

"Yes."

_How… many did you take from the wild?_ He asks with disdain.

"None."

_What?_ He looks at me with an odd expression.

"You don't remember what I told you earlier? I didn't catch any of them."

Yes, I do remember now… I just don't like trainers…

"Well, while you are up here, could you tell me how we are… linked, I guess would be the word?"

Ah yes. Well, I'm not sure about all of how it works… but he said there was this old prophecy. In a story that he told us, about the world. Arceus created the world, and most of the legendary pokémon, and every one of those did what they did, making land, ocean, sky, giving humans their feelings and demeanor, and even the natural process of evolution, and so forth. Then, Arceus realized what would eventually happen. He realized what humans had put them far above most species. Imagination. Ambition. They could pervert the good and commit evil and not feel remorse, where as all pokémon did what they did to survive and perpetuate their existence. The mere intelligence that some have doesn't match the mind and greed that coat most human desires. So he decided that something would have to be done. He told one human, who has passed the legend down through every generation since then, a prophecy.

_A fatal five would emerge one day, each one stronger than a regular creature of their species. 3 Humans and 2 pokémon, who couldn't be killed by conventional means, while things such as ripping out their heart or the obvious beheading, would kill. Each had a different ability: One had strength and agility on a scale far above the other chosen, a fighter. One could see the inner being of all things, a seer who could tell what one looked like and see their true name and face beneath cloth and lies. One who could tell the future if it was threatening their own life, or the life of someone close to them, a teller. One could hear things, even deepest, personal thoughts, and could understand the language of the other species, a listener. One could create illusions, to fool the eyes of man and pokémon alike, and had an wisdom beyond normal creature, a visionary._

_Whatever fate brought, was outside of Arceus' hands, but he knew that for this to work, he'd have to change something. After this change, he left our dimension out of pure exhaustion of changing a distant future from what he did to fate. 3 of these 5 were of a pure heart, and were to lead humanity to the path of salvation, and 2 of them were their to tempt, and to attempt to impede the progression of the other three. It is their battle to fight, and it may even happen multiple times. Eventually, one of these events will lead to a meeting with Arceus, where he will decide what will become of the earth and all its inhabitants._

Even though he wasn't actually speaking, he sighs when he was done. _I summed this up very quickly, the full version is much longer. Took almost an hour for Dark to explain._

"That's… a bit much to believe."

_Whether or not you believe it, I find it true._ He closes his eyes, and looks at me. _ I can see you fine currently. And holding two fingers up behind your back won't prove that I can't see what you are doing._

I blush and bring my hand back to my front. "So, what, are you the seer?"

_I am._

"So, if I'm part of this… who am I?"

_It'd be fair to say that you understand your pokémon, so you can listen. But you are not the chosen one right now, you just have his powers. Your brother, the older of you two, has the rights of the chosen one. But he cannot evoke his rights without the powers, and he cannot gain them back once you have them…_

"What does that mean?" I ask, somewhat confused.

_He feels this may be the event that causes Arceus to come about. He cannot see him, and neither can you. He can't get the powers back, but you can receive his rights. If this is to go through… he says he'll have to die._


	39. Chapter 39

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I push him off his rock and he lands on his rump, looking at me as if I wounded him. "You… must have heard him wrong, Dark can't die… my brother… I can't let him."

_You must! He admitted it openly, and said if we told you, to make that clear. You can't sacrifice the whole world for one creature._

"Don't speak of him as if he's just another being on this planet. He's important to me, as much as Serena is, or Sakura… was…" I start to cry a little. "Isn't there some way to save him? Can't we save the world with him by my side? I want him to see it."

_He did not say anything like that, but insisted that you must accept that this is the way it was meant to be._

I just stare at him. His face is very serious, and he hasn't implied anything other wise. _I believe Wraith. I hear what he's saying: that Dark, my brother, must die in order for us to save the world. I'm sure he'll just take his own life if he needs to, I can't stop him. I'm going to lose my brother… who brought me into trouble and took me out safely. He even saved us earlier that day._

I look up to the sky, the clouds parting, revealing the orange sky of the evening sun. _I woke up this morning hope to simply find Serena and have this be done. Now, there's a whole other adventure…_ "Wait, what do we have to do exactly?" I ask Wraith suddenly.

He brings his paw to his chin in thought. _Not really sure Raizu… maybe try and stop fighting from happening between countries?_

Before I can respond, I hear my name called from below me. I look back, walking toward the edge and look down. Serena is calling out, looking around in all directions, calling my name in a panic. I call my pokémon, return them all, leaving out only Veera to follow me. Wraith follows me down the side as I climb down the small ledges on the side.

"What's going on Serena?" I ask, my sentence rigid coming out of my mouth.

"Dark says he needs to talk to you right away."

"Hmmmm?"

"He's collapsed on the ground, and we don't know what's wrong…"

I exchange nervous glances with Wraith, then nod. "I'm not sure I know why…" I say, nervously, almost shaking up, "But I know what's about to happen." I run in, with Wraith, Veera, and Serena following me.

--

He's just inside the cave entrance. He's on one knee and trying to get up with his other leg, but he almost collapses. His right arm is across his chest and his left arm is holding the wall. I look at him and I can see a pool of blood on the ground under him. He raises his head up and tries to smile. "Hey Raizu…" He coughs, more blood splattering on the ground.

"Please, Dark. Don't die, I'm sure there's something we can do… you don't have to die…" I kneel down and raise him up, supporting him by bringing one his arms over my shoulder.

"Ah, but this isn't really voluntary Raizu…" He tries to sigh, but only a hoarse sound comes out. "Do you know about the Fatal Five yet?"

"Yes, Wraith told me all about them."

"You guys, anyway." He corrects me, working in his grin.

I let a tear fall as I look at him. "Please, why is this happening?"

"Oh, I'm probably just a bit messed up from stopping that bomb… See, I knew about it because Serena told me, who found out from Cyrus, and it was his plan to instigate that kind of attack. So I taped into a little bit of power I could get just from you and used a little seeing power… and I could tell when the bomb was going to be dropped. I didn't have enough power though, so… I had to use some Aura… Ahah… Oh…" He coughs again, a loud sound that sounds like the throat being torn apart. Even more blood shoots out.

"Well… please… I… I don't know what to say…" I state, crying completely now.

"I have some power left… I can sustain it to keep myself alive a little longer… as I have two things to tell you. Please, take me outside." I nod and we all walk outside slowly. I put him down against a smooth rock face, and he grins again. _Don't try this happy shit on me while you're dying…_

"Oh… this hurts… okay, where to start? Well, first off, what you have to do. See, Arceus doesn't actually come down, as much as a side calls him down. Either the good or evil side, which is sorta stereotypical, but really, both sides think they're doing good, so what does it matter? You need to collect three piece of a flute, which will form itself when they are brought together. They all make up the Heaven's Pipe, an instrument that will call down Arceus to ultimately help whoever calls him down. This ultimately, decides if the world is to be destroyed or saved. It comes down to the ambitions of whoever summons him."

"Now… one last thing. I know who is one who's side. Cyrus is teamed up with the visionary, the illusion guy… Raizu is a listener, Wraith sees… and I'm not sure who the fighter is." He coughs again.

"Isn't there a way we can save you? This is all for shit if you just die, you helped me find Serena, told me everything, helped me escape from Rocket base… " I talk, almost mumbling through my tears.

"There's a lot more than that, but you won't know until later. The flute pieces are in various places around Sinnoh, and I have sent my own pokémon to guard them. You'll just have to get some clues as to where to find them. When you do have them… take them to the top of Mt. Coronet." He coughs again.

"Stop talking about this, you're dying and I want you to live!" I scream.

I look around at all of them. _They're ready to support me through thick and thin, through trials, and probably until the end of the earth. And I'm just thinking about what Dark just did, how I may save him if I had rushed him to the center, but I know he would resist me… he's chosen to die…_

"NO!" I say. "This isn't how it was supposed to happen, none of it fucking was!" I scream, and just take off along a path leading around the side of a mountain.

_I'm getting away from them._

After getting so far away, I stop, not even breathing hard after running for a few minutes at full sprint, and release Alexis.

_I'll get as far away as possible._

She looks at my crying face and tries to ask me something, but I scream at her. "Teleport us out of here! To the mainland! Now! Close to Floaroma Town!"

_I'll just be alone with my pokémon._

She wimpers and agrees to do it, explaining how she has just enough energy to move us all over, when Veera comes flying over the mountain towards me. "Raizu, what the hell are you doing hitting her!?"

"I'm tired of the company of humans!" I scream. "Such idiocy is more than I am willing to be accompanied by! I want to be alone, with my pokémon." I return Veera to her pokéball suddenly as Alexis teleports us away, a flash of white light replacing the spot on the mountain where we once stood.


	40. Mating 2

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We spend a long time walking around the area near Floaroma Town. We spend just two days camping outside in the forest surrounding the town. My pokémon do not voice any concerns, and actually seem rather happy. I can't tell if they are just faking this, or really are happy to be apart from them. Now that I think about it, no, that isn't it. They're glad that they are with me, and that's all I care to know.

Veera's mood has taken an upward turn. Tempest tells me that she was mostly to herself, but the second day we were out here, I noticed Veera and Alexis walk off. Now realizing how good my hearing is, I listened from quite a distance, and I could only make out crying. I couldn't imagine not meeting my mother in my life, until circumstances like this.

I call her over the day after that day, a total of four days after we left the rest of the group back at Iron Island. "Veera."

"Yeah Raizu?" She asks, not bothering to mindspeak.

"Uh… what happened when you were all with Serena?"

"Oh, that wasn't expected, aha!" She says, almost nervous. _Is she trying to hide something?_ "Well, she took us all in her pokéballs, and 2 days later she took us out and we were in her house at the city. She said it was her grandmothers, but we never even saw her, no scent either. I just think it's some ploy so she can have her own house." She nods agreeing with herself. "She said you died at Rocket Base, and that he said he wanted her to take care of us. Well, I'm not sure if I believed it, but Abby might have… have you talked with her?"

I shake my head. "She seems… fine to me Veera."

"Good." She gets in closer to me. I almost back up a little because her approach is so startling. But I let her keep coming, just keeping her face and mine 6 inches apart. "Raizu…"

"Veera, what are you…"

I don't get time to respond, because her lips lock with mine. For a full two seconds, I don't move. I almost move my tongue into her mouth before I realize _**shit I'm kissing a damn pokémon! **_I shove her away from me and just give her an angry look. "What the hell Veera!?"

"Raizu… please…" She gives me an utterly desperate look. I shiver.

"Veera, you are a pokémon! Why the hell do you even have thoughts of-"

"JUST SHUT UP!" She screams. She spreads her wings and flies away up through the loose foliage that is the trees above. I sigh.

_Veera… that was… if nothing else, disgusting. What would you be thinking, trying to come on to me? Humans… no, it shouldn't happen._

"Hey Tempest!" I call. In a few minutes, he comes out from between some trees.

"'Twas havin' a lovely chat with miss Alexis, I was. Wot is it, eh wot?" Tempest says in a disgusting British accent.

"Your accent is disgusting. Anyway, um… Veera…"

"What about her?" He says, looking at me curiously. His concerned face reflects that he seems to know something.

"Veera… just um…" I blush a little.

"I thought she might do something that stupid." He says, and sighs. "Behold Raizu, for I am about to get serious."

"Why… so serious?"

"Veera… went through a heat at Serena's house."

"What!?" I gasp, surprised completely. _It hasn't been much longer than a month since rocket base; that's very recent._

"I didn't relieve her either. I think the last thing she needs to deal with, especially at her age, is a child, also when she's basically been ripped from her best friend, you. She got really irritated, and even tried getting to me in my sleep." He sighs. "I definitely WANTED to, but… I had to think of her. Ever since you came back though, she hasn't talked to me at all, and she seems… too happy. I mean, sure, a CHANGE, but just TOO happy…" He looks back and forth with shifty eyes.

I just sigh. "So… do you think it'll just pass with time or something?"

"I can only hope, I don't want to see her trying to get every male she sees inside of her… Oh, this reminds me." He stops, as if waiting for me to ask him what it is. I don't oblige, and he just continues with a slightly disappointed tone in his voice. "Abby is having her heat again as well, she left earlier."

"Is… two and a half months normal between heats?"

"When her mate is dead, it is." He gives me a solemn look. "Raizu, when is Markus supposed to be back? Alexis… misses him greatly."

"As soon as the egg hatches. So, did Abby say if she might leave again?" I say, trying to remain composed.

"She said she wouldn't go with anyone who won't come back with her."

Abby is walking through the woods calmly. Tired, and alone, she sets herself down near a tree. _A whole day since I left Raizu's camp… oh Raizu, why didn't you talk to me!? With Markus gone, I have no one to turn too…_

She was hungry, but didn't particularly feel like looking for food. She had spent the whole day walking, and she still knew exactly what direction that Raizu was in, but she didn't want to go back without someone. She starts to cry, hoping that someone comes. She soon cries herself to sleep, her exhaustion coming over her as the effect from staying awake all night finally reach her.

--

**Crack!**

Abby awakes to such a sound, a branch breaking on the ground merely feet from where she is. She looks up, and sees a male looking away from her, trying to sneak by. A luxray.

"Oh, someone has come! Finally!" She gets up slowly, still a little wobbly.

"Yeah, hi." He says, trying to brush her off. "What do you want?" He finally turns his head. He isn't a normal Luxray, as his coloring is quite different from a normal one. The only colors of fur on his body are Yellow and Blue, the yellow replacing what would normally be black on his body, which shines the most on his mane. He also has a large X scar across his face. She only likes it more.

"I think you are really wanting something over here." She says, coming closer to him.

"I'm, not really sure that I uh-" He's cut off as he feels a shock crawl up from his back. Abby just brushed her paw gently against his cock, which was fully erect.

"You see, my mate…" her tone changes to one that is more serious. "… Died. He's been dead for a long time, but I didn't even get to see his body buried. Please, I need someone." She starts crying on his side.

_This seems to just be some ploy to get me to feel sorry for her… but I don't have a lot to lose doing this do I?_ "Um… Yeah, yeah, okay."

Abby looks up through tears "I ask only one thing. I would like to know… if you would come with me, and follow my trainer as we travel. He currently doesn't know where he is going or what he wants to do, but… I hate being alone, but I also like him a lot. So will you?" She just turns around and raises her juicy, swollen sex. He looks at her.

He smiles. "Sure, you seem nice, and I couldn't stand to leave someone in their heat alone." He comes forward and gets on his hind legs, placing his forepaws down, the traditional mating position finally made. He comes into her slowly, shocks of feeling come from her as he enters.

"That's good?" He asks, a little indifferent, but still caring for her.

"That's… better than I remember." She gets out.

He starts making thrusts, both gasping for breath as they progress. He keeps his hold on her, going harder as they move in a natural rhythm. Each one can tell, just through the instinct of how the other reacts, that neither is doing this for their first time. She gets a firmer grip on the ground as he starts coming in harder, his thrusts getting faster. With every movement, she starts to cry more.

The Luxray almost stops. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"No, don't stop, I just… emotions welling up." She says. Without warning, he thrusts all the way in. She gasps, the feeling something she has missed for a long time. He leans over her and licks her behind her ear, whispering, "I think I may come to like you."

Panting, she feels close to orgasm, and asks, "What is your name anyway?"

He whispers in her ear, "Jet." He makes his final move, and both orgasm at the same time, both yelling into the forest air. He comes out and sits down on the ground, completely composed. She's panting, still semi-in the position.

Jet sighs, ready to make a confession. "I hope… you don't expect children."

She is still panting, and asks inbetween, "Why?"

"When I was little… I got a vasectomy. It was painful, and it was sort of a clan rule that all males got one when they turn five…"

"It's okay." She says, snuggling against his side. "I actually… don't want to worry about more children. I'm Abby by the way."

"You already know I'm Jet." He smiles.

They kiss, and sleep beside each other that night.


	41. Chapter 41

41

41

Jet wakes up the next morning to find Abby already awake, leaning on him in some silent protest to him sleeping, giving him a lascivious look. He sighs, and they make passionate love once again.

Once finished, Jet makes haste in asking where Abby's trainer is. "His name is Raizu Kawashima." States Abby.

"Oh." He says, giving her a blank look.

She starts walking around, sniffing relentlessly. "Um…"

"What?" Jet says.

"I can't… find a scent. This is not good. C'mon, follow me." She starts running in a direction. Jet sighs and follows her half-willingly.

--

Jet finds Abby a few minutes later, after having lost track of her visibly in the forest, using her scent to track her. She was sitting in a small clearing, crying. "Abby?" He walks up behind her, asking.

"They… were right here. I put… an X on that tree over there." She nods her head toward said tree in her melancholy state. "It was to… remember where they were. But they left already… it has only been one day…"

Jet comes up to her and kisses her cheek. "We'll find them. I'm a Luxray, so I can see through objects a certain distance. You know what they smell like. We can do this together."

"You're cheesy encouragement is acknowledged." States Abby, smiling alittle. The two are about to leave when something drop from the trees above and lands in front of them. The distance was so high that they felt a wind rush at them as it lands. Jet looks straight ahead, as Abby blinks her eyes several times to remove dust from her eyes.

The figure is a Heracross. He's smiling as his blue shell reflects the sun off him and into their eyes. "Hey guys."

"Do we know you?" Says Jet, walking forward with an aggressive stance.

"Hey hey, don't go around trying to hurt me. I just woke up, saw a nice little couple down here and stuff, and thought 'Hey, I should say hi and like, stuff.' Not too many people come by here… well, except for that one big group of guys yesterday."

"What?" Asks Abby.

"Yeah, see, like, two days ago, I was sleepin' here, and then whoosh, and some white, winged, dog thing, flies past me. I almost fell out, and I like, yelled somethin' and she came down at talked to me. She was nice, eh, Veera was her name, ya. She told me her trainer was here, and I looked down, and there was a human and 5 other pokémon. Pretty impressive sight, no one comes by this part of the woods…"

"He's my trainer and we're looking for him. My name's Abby." She sits down and holds forward one paw. "Shake?"

He looks at her, then grabs it gently and shakes. "You're weird, lady. Name's Jon."

"Jet." Jet introduces himself, then begins with more questions. "Did you see where they went?"

"Well yeah, they left about… two days ago."

"What?" Says Abby.

"Oh yeah, I saw you leave. In heat too, guess you found yourself a guy ya?" He elbows her jokingly, but she shoots him a look that almost makes him fall over. "Whoa, whoa whoa. Too much anger, lady. Um, well, Veera talked with me, said she couldn't stand her trainer and the rest of them and such, then flew off in some direction. I stayed here and noticed that one left, I think an Espeon. Raizu noticed and decided to follow them."

"So they left in pursuit of Veera?" Asks Jet.

"I guess. She looked prrrreeeetttyyy upset." He says, much emphasis on pretty. "I know where they went. Can I come with?"

"What? Why?" Asks Jet.

"Because life around here is BORING." He makes a big motion with his hands. "There's like, nothing, and I figured, 'Hey, a trainer. Whooo…'"

"Well, Raizu can say no if we find him." Says Abby. "Let's go."

"Sure, this way." He says pointing in some direction, and the three start walking toward where Raizu should be.

--

"Veera!" I call out, worried sick about her. Right now, only Alexis and Tempest are out, helping me look around for her. She flew off after she kissed me, and even though we should have waited for Abby to return, if she does, I want to get Veera back. Besides, she should be able to find us with her scent.

"Damnit, where is she…" Says Tempest. "I should have just given her what she wants…"

"Hey, you didn't know she'd flip out… on me especially." I say, reassuringly and jokingly at the same time.

"Yeah, I guess…" He grumbles. Then he perks up, looking around. "Shit…"

"What?" I ask, when I feel something small hit my head. The feeling doesn't stay long, and more small objects begin to hit my head. _Shit. Rain. _We all hurry under the cover of a tree, large enough to keep rain from landing on us, and rest for a bit.

"How are we going to find my daughter in this rain?!" Asks Alexis. "She may not be safe."

"I'll go find her." I say. I don't let them get a word in edgewise in protest, and reassure them that I'll be fine. "I like the rain."

I start walking, not running in order to avoid tripping, slowly through the forest. The ground has only started soaking up the water, mud not yet formed, and I keep heading straight. _I don't have any idea if I'll even see her in this direction, but I have a feeling…_

Upon reaching a clearing, I almost yell out. I find Abby there, along with this other yellow furred Luxray. "Abby?!" I call out, still coming towards them.

She turns around and shoots me a look of malice. She launches flamethrower at me and I barely jump out of the way, grabbing a nearby tree for support. "Abby? What are you doing?"

She doesn't respond, and fires another pillar of flame at me.


	42. Chapter 42

42

42

I side step it like it's nothing, none of the fire touching me. "Abby, what is going on? Are you angry?"

"You wouldn't believe." She says, anger coursing through her voice. "You left me… us…"

"Okay… um… well it's fine now isn't it? Just introduce me?" I say, a little perplexed by her anger.

"My name… is Jet." He say, reassuredly. "You… left her alone and thought of nothing of her well being. You shall pay." He charges forward and swings his body around, whipping his tail at me. I quickly grab it, but the very end, the yellow star, keeps moving and hits my wrist. It cuts through like a knife, I yell and pull my hand away.

"What… the heck?"

"My tail star… it's razor sharp. It's quite unique to me, and is useful…" He spins around, and I step back just in time to avoid the star again. Abby comes forward and fires a fire spin at me, but I jump toward her past the flame, and fling my leg into her neck. She yelps, the attack ending, knocked back several feet back as she slides through the mud.

"Ow… Raizu, why would you hurt me?" Says Abby.

"You aren't Abby. Or at least, not the one I know." I say, ripping a part of my shirt off and wrapping it around my wrist to stop it's bleeding. I wince at the pain; it hurts a lot more, but I won't lose a substantial amount of blood now. "If you were… really you, you'd be seeking shelter from this rain, because rain hurts fire types even, the cold sucking away their energy."

She grinds her teeth and looks at me. "I am weak, but I'm angry enough at you to attack!" She shoots another flamethrower, but I duck under it. When it clears, the Luxray is already charging at me and ready to rake me with his claws. I grab his paw before he can swing, and smile when he stalls in surprise. I swing him around, and loose him flying into Abby.

"If you're going to try and hurt me…" I say, glaring at them. "Then I guess you're nothing to me."

They get up, and Jets looks at me. With a fire in his eyes, he stares up towards the sky, his body bent upward. Abby chuckles and starts walking backwards. He begins to talk, almost chant, something, to no particular person.

_Souls of the Underworld, I have a request of you_

_Offer your power to the truly worthy and noble._

A white and purple translucent ring appears, wide and centered around me. It also is encircling Jet. Light starts to form around us, like a dome over the circle, and it gets brighter as it brightens.

_The rage and anger built in my soul,_

_is your entry point into freedom._

He continues, and it starts to get brighter, but I feel a strong wind blow past me. I can tell it wasn't simply moving air, but air parting way for someone in front of me. Wraith stands there, one paw forward and an ball of energy charging in his hand.

_Give the sinners of this world Hell_

_I AM INDIGNANT!_

_Get out of this circle Raizu!_ He says to me, shoving me. I hear him and don't question, and as I slide through the mud, I jump back. I just fall outside of the circle's reach as Jet finishes the incantation.

_INDIGNATION!_

Lightening crashes down into the center of the ring, and it lights up the dome to it's full, as if filled with liquid energy. I cover my eyes to escape the almost blinding white dome standing in front of me.

When it passes, I move my hand away from my face, and blink a few times. After several seconds, I can see clearly again, but what I see intrigues me. There is no damage to the ground, or to Wraith. "The hell…"

_Heh, I figured. They're fake Raizu!_

"Fake?"

He nods. _An illusion. Man, so weak!_ He leashes the Aura Sphere emanating from his paw, the white sphere shot at Abby and Jet at incredible speeds. It lands, hitting Abby, but the explosion encompasses both of them. I feel my heart sink, but then realize that after the smoke clears, neither are there.

"Wraith, what the hell is going on?"

_Simply put, Deren at work._ He says, wiping dirt off his arm. _I hate this damn rain._

_Deren?_ I think. _Oh, he's… that red haired boy from Johto! He was at rocket base! He tried to kill me in that cave on the way to vermilion… he was at the base with dad… captured me and Veera… he's been involved all this time!_ "He's involved with this?"

_Yeah, a bit, he's that illusion guy. Can't say he'll like finding me… heh, when he does, he's finished._ He smacks his paws together.

"So… these two who were just here were illusions? But they hurt me, I'm still bleeding!" I hold up my wounded hand.

_Here's the beauty of his power, which I'm almost envious of. If you believe that what is happening to you by the illusion is real, it happens. You believed that Jet was real, so that big spell thing would have killed you instantly. I can see through them so easily that I know they're fake right away._

"That's… quite a power… so, um, before I say anything else, lets go find Abby and the real Jet. I wonder how Deren found out about them…"

_It can only be a bad thing._

I nod, and we start walking through the woods, Wraith keeping his eyes closed to use his aura abilities, and me calling out repeatedly, but I'm of little use, as Wraith, using his sight, finds them quite quickly. About a 10 minutes walk from where we were, Abby is in the side of a small rock formation, resembling a very small mountain. The out-cropping is dome-like, smooth and rounded to let the rain fall of it's sides, and it shields the two from rain very well. Jet's with her, but he growls as we approach.

"Abby!" I say loudly. She's shivering behind him. I can visibly see that she's already soaked, which apparently happened before.

"You won't get near her!" Jet says, bearing his teeth at me. "She's hurt from this rain, just leave before I hurt you!"

_Not much good to tell us she's hurt if you wanted us to go away._ Says Wraith. _C'mon now, this is Raizu, her trainer. He can take care of her._

Jet looks at me. "Abby says you can understand pokémon, which is supposed to be odd for humans. I don't know much about humans, but maybe if you respond to my rambling right now you could give me some insight on your ability to understand us?" He finishes, taking in a big sigh as he does.

I look at him, unsure how to really respond to what he just said. "Um… Abby is right, and maybe you should come with me because I'm her trainer so you can learn more about humans?"

He turns back to Abby, who's just shivering in place. "That's him 'tard."

"Oh. Well, then, let's go where ever you think is best, Raizu." Says Jet.

"I'm fine staying here a bit, I think the rest of the part can stand some alone time." I say. Sighing, I look at Wraith, who's perched himself out on a rock just outside of the protection the rock gives us.

We sit there until nightfall. I asked Jet to go out and find Tempest and Alexis, and he agreed once Abby said it would be okay, but he hadn't returned. Too dark to leave, I just sit here when I realize what I should be doing.

I release Shimmer from her ball next to Abby. She curls up with her and she thanks me silently, and the two fall asleep together. _I wish I had a blanket, it's kind of cold out here._ I get up then look to Wraith, who's still sitting on that rock of his. I walk over and past him and say as I go by, "I'm going out to find Jet, I'll be back soon."

_Sure you don't want me along? _He asks.

"I'll be fine."

_Suit yourself, I'll keep these two safe._

"Thanks."

_Don't worry about it. Listen, I know you're going through hard times, questioning shit, but you can trust people you know, all right?_

I start to get a little angry. "You don't have to tell me this shit, I know who I can and can't trust."

He shrugs and just turns himself to the side so that Abby and Shimmer are in his view. I turn around and just keep walking through the woods, in the direction that I am only decently sure leads to where I left my friends.

After several minutes, I start to get a little bored. I can't remember the last time I thought about if I was enjoying myself or not, so I take in the environment around me. Pokémon are few and far in between, but I can see them at a distance often enough. The rain only pelts me slightly, and it's almost comforting. It's almost evening, so the sky is dark, and what little light there is happens to be mostly blocked by trees. The green and brown of the towering plants overhead obscure the sky and make a giant roof overhead. I look forward and the maze of trees almost makes me dizzy, I'm almost lost. But I have a certain sense of direction that keeps me going where I'm almost sure they are.

Before my train of thought can continue, I hear rustling overhead, a bit stronger than some passer-by flying pokémon. I walk back a few steps and look up. Floating down toward me is Deren, the red haired boy who has been hunting me and working with Team Rocket since the start.

"You!" I say, spitting at him.

He chuckles. "You know I'm an illusion, Wraith already explained what I can do to you."

"You're teamed up with Cyrus, I know that too."

"Oh do you know? Can't be helped, can it? We only want to make this world more acceptable." He snickers.

"Acceptable? For who?"

"For pokémon of course." He says, as if it's obvious. "Humans are the problem in this world. We want to end their reign, bring them down to earth."

"How can you do that?" I ask, dismissing his claims as nothing.

"We're going to wipe the emotional drive from humans." He says, proudly.

I give him an inquisitive look. "How?"

"You don't know yet, do you? I'll elaborate, since I see you as an equal, foe or not. When you summon Arceus, what is supposed to happen is that which ever group summons him, comes to a decision about how to help the world. There is of course, a war going on, so that is probably what you simple folk will focus on. Arceus, essentially, grants a wish. It's ultimately what decides the fate of the planet, because Arceus is always disconnected from events here, because we are so miniscule compared to everything in the known universe. In fact, this 'good vs evil' thing is something that is made up completely by humans who pass this down."

He pauses, and I take the time to respond. "So we get to decide something that will affect humanity all across the globe? No questions asked?"

"Fate is at work here, Raizu. We're meant to arrive and fight for the out come we want. Unfortunately, we can't read fate, so we just go on until we get to the outcome. We don't know what is best, but we think we do. Cyrus and I have our way, and you and your friends have your ways."

"Why are you confronting me?" I ask, wondering why he's vaguely answering me.

"I want you to join Cyrus and I." He holds out his hand as if offering something. "As a gift, you take this piece of the Heaven's Pipe."

As if by instinct, I hold out my hand, and a piece of it falls into my hand. It's a row of different-height wooden pipes, and only a bit longer than the length of his hand.

I look up, and as the illusion faded, I give my answer loudly.

"My mind can be swayed, but it'll take more than that. I have close friends I have to think about, and I'm not to sure they'd appreciate the decision."

"They don't have to Raizu." Deren says, his voice a faded echo. "Just do what is best for you."


	43. Chapter 43

43 

43

As I feel any presence fade away, I turn and start walking in the direction I was originally going when I hear leaves crunching behind me, and I turn to see Veera. I'm surprised, but my mood is so dulled from talking to Deren that it doesn't show. She doesn't seem to notice my lack of surprise.

"Raizu…" She says, distant and uncertain.

"Veera, I'm glad you're back." I say, smiling.

"Wha-?" She says, looking at me weird.

"I don't care why you left, I'm just glad you're back." I smirk. "Just don't hit on me again."

"Um, oh, yeah okay." She says, stumbling over her words. "I came flying back waiting to say some big speech about why I left and what's been going on-"

"I don't care." I interrupt. "You're back, and that's what matters. You aren't hurt or scarred or anything, are you?"

"Erm, no." She says. She gives me a befuddled look.

--

In a wonderful stroke of luck, I find all of my pokémon back at the rock where I left Abby and Jet. Tempest was easily strong enough to bring my stuff on his back as well.

"They were easy to find." Tempest tells me. "They were arguing loudly. Something about… actually, you just don't want to know."

I give him a curious look. I then turn to the other two, Abby and Jet, who are sitting on opposite sides of the clearing, no fear for being exposed due to the rain having stopped minutes ago.

Before I can ask, Abby bursts out again at Jet. "Damnit, why won't you even **acknowledge** the existence of my daughter?"

_Oh._ "She isn't mine, and I do not know her. What, will you tell her I'm her father or something?" He says, not even turning around.

"You act like no one has ever been adopted. It happens, we have parents that aren't our real parents sometimes." She says, on the borderline of bawling.

"What?" He asks, caught off guard by her tears. At this time, I've already requested everyone be returned and they obliged, since I didn't think that it would be best they heard this discussion.

"Jet… damnit, Raizu, I have to leave for a while!" She yells, running off into the forest. She leaves my sight before I can even reach for her pokéball.

Jet starts to run off after her, but turns to me. He bows his head, saying, "You need not worry, trainer of Abby. I will return her safely." He then runs off before I can respond.

I look around, waiting for something else to happen, and sigh. _Great. Abso-fucking-lutely great. Abby left, now what am I going to do?_

I hear a sound from above, and feel leaves fall on me. The rustling continues, and I feel a downward wind hit my back as something lands on the ground behind me. I spin around and am greeted by a heracross. "Yo." He says, his voice translated instantly.

"Do I know you?"

"Yeah, well know. I do know that white winged dog of yours, Veeya-or-something. She was all nice, and yeah." He scratches his invisible nose with his claw.

I nod, and release Veera. She meets the Heracross, and they chat for a minute, and Veera looks at me. "He says he's interested in following you. As in you be his trainer. He's powerful, I can tell."

"Sure, what the hell, until Abby gets back." I say. Still on shock, I toss a spare pokéball at him, and he enters in the known red flash, and remains in the ball.

"Well, now what?" Asks Veera.

"We travel to the nearest city and sleep. I need a damned bed."

2


	44. Chapter 44

44

We spend the next few days traveling to Eterna city. The journey, though, strikes me as odd. The entire way, Jon the Heracross and Veera talk as if close friends. As if they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Tempest informs me that they are the same age even.

"Veera has never known any others that are her own age." He tells me. "She wants to talk. And probably do other things."

"That doesn't bother you?" I ask, concerned immediately.

"Not so much. I hate to say it, but I don't think Veera cares for me anymore." His eyes start to water up, but he blinks and shakes his head, returning his eyes to their normal state. "Maybe I deserve this…" he says.

Upon asking Alexis the same day, she gives me a shrug-like motion. "Veera and I have talked very little. I doubt she cares much to talk with me, and may not even acknowledge that I'm really her mother. I'm sure it'll sink in one night, and I shall wait until that time. It is her want to know me that is more important here."

"Why?" I ask, concerned at her indifference.

"Immediately after she met her Father, he past away." She bites her lip. "She might not want to risk such a loss again. That would also put Tempest in a position where she would want to distance her self from him. Same to you when she ran away for a day."

These thoughts concern me far beyond what I can even imagine. _What if she decides to leave us for good? I can't deal with that._ Before I get any farther, Alexis elaborates even more. "She is taking a liking to Jon because he is just going to be a friend. That's how she sees him. She has had no real physical or emotional connections with people other than love, both parental and physical. Now, she can experience something else. This is why I wait." She sighs again, almost despairing. "I still wish she wouldn't be like this. It hurts me to give me normal glances as if I'm some comrade of hers."

"Maybe I should talk to her." I propose, and Alexis doesn't answer.

That night, the city comes into sight, and I decide that I should talk to Veera and Jon. After setting up my sleeping bag, I leave Tempest and Alexis alone, along with Shimmer. She isn't as distressed as I had originally thought she'd be, but perhaps our lying about saying Abby will only be gone a few days is comforting her.

The clearing has only one rock. It is wet, slippery, and uncomfortable, nearly blackened by the water soaked into it. I try to sit on it, and achieve said goal, though I am left uncomfortable. I dare not sit on the ground, the mud plenty and grass chocked under it.

Jon looks at me and starts speaking before I do. "I hope I haven't, like, been too much of a hassle or something. You don't have to let me go! I can help out with camp, keep guard-"

"That's not why I'm here, Jon. I like you so far." I explain. Both he and Veera sigh with relief, as if that was what they had expected the whole time. "In fact, I want to know why you are here."

"What?" He says, confused.

"A Heracross who is the same age as Veera… normally wouldn't be out on their own yet. They'd at least wait to have a mate." I explain. "I'm concerned for your family or community. Surely they miss you."

He looks around quickly, as if waiting for something to happen. He looks at me intently, and answers my comment. "No, see, my parents kicked ME out of the home, dude." He says. "I wasn't agreeing on a lot of their principles, and they didn't approve of how I handled myself around… other women. Some hot stuff happened." He says nodding, causing Veera to facepalm using her paw. "They kicked me out, and I traveled around, 'till I decided to make my home in that tree Veera found me in. I was liking it, oh yeah. But it, like, was boring." He nods to himself. "I eventually decided to simply travel around, finding trees to hang out in and such, and the occasional women, but it never stopped me from being bored. Guess I just want to hang out with some humans, enough pokémon."

"I'm surprised you care, Raizu." He says, and I raise an eyebrow. "Veera says you used to be assy."

"Stop." I say, and he kinda jumps. I almost chuckle and how easily startles he was, and continue. "Humans piss me off too easily, is all. You all… I can't stay mad at you, and you don't do anything to make me such." I get up. "Let's just get some sleep. Tomorrow, we head to town." We get up and walk toward camp, but as Jon passes us, I stop Veera.

She looks at me. "Yeah?"

"You know Alexis is concerned about me."

"Mom'll be fine." She says, smiling. "I'm just… waiting for the right moment." She starts semi-skiping, as much as a dog-pokémon could, toward camp.

-----

The next morning is uneventful, I simply packing up and returning all my pokémon for the trip down to Eterna city. There's a simple worn, dirt path, winding it's way down towards the city._ This reminds me too much of Viridian city. Must keep prepared._

I arrived later than I had at Viridian, and fewer people were around. It seemed classes were being held primarily at this time, so only skipping students (I can almost always see the difference between good students, and bad), and senior citizens. The city itself isn't as lively as expected, either.

I soon find a motel, and ask for a room with enough space for my pokémon. Saying they do not allow them there, I went to the pokécenter instead, knowing they'll have a place, even though it'll be bare bones. The center is a bit to the south of the center of the city, but it is not a long walk from the northern half.

Joy greets me, inside the slightly smaller, but still tan-golden yellow tiles along the floor and walls that make up most pokécenters, surround me. She takes us to a room and I'm surprised to see how large it is; I could release all my pokémon and not feel cramped in the least. There is a mini fridge with a counter along the wall near the bathroom, and the bed on the opposite side of the room. There's only one window, and it isn't very large, and has a white curtain that only partially covers light. There is one table low enough for a small TV, and only one end table next to the bed, with a lamp, phone, and clock. The walls are a dull white/tan, and the carpet a simple brown.

Not turning on the TV, I flop down on the bed and release my pokémon, electing to NOT respond to anything anyone asks me. I take a quick look around.

Veera, Jon, Tempest, Alexis, Shimmer, all traveling with me.

Someone knocks on the door. I call to ask who it is, and Nurse Joy yells her name. "Come to the door!" She says. Not sure what to expect, but cautiously, I walk toward the door. I look through the peep hole and see no one else in the corridor besides the pink hair of Nurse Joy, and her white and pink uniform. I open the door a crack.

"Raizu, keep a pokémon on watch tonight, I can't guard you."

"Why do you know my name? Hell, what are you talking about?" I ask, curious.

"I just saw you on the news. You are wanted in connection to that bombing of Canalave City. I know you did nothing, I can see it in your eyes and how you walk; both casual and unconcerned beyond measure. For this center's sake, I can't help you; only warn." She leaves, and I close my door.

I lock it.

-----

"Raizu." Says Veera, waking me calmly in the middle of the night. Shimmer is sleeping with her, quietly. She hasn't been putting up much of a fuss lately, which is a bit upsetting.

"Why are you waking up up at…" I look at the clock. "2 in the morning?"

"I heard noises Raizu. Alexis says she didn't hear anything, but I did." I can't see her face, but I can hear the panic.

"It's probably some late coming trainers or something, let me listen." I suggest. _The first time I'll get to use my abilities for something other than understanding pokémon. This could prove fun._

I bring my head, and ear, to the bottom of the door which is about 2 mm above the carpeted floor. Somehow, I start hearing sounds that I couldn't before –loudly – as if they weren't there before and suddenly appeared close to me. Figuring it was my concentration on distant sounds that suddenly brought them to my ear, I listen intently. The only sound I can follow is foot steps of what sounds like several people, but too many sounds make me unable to tell how many people are walking, but the sound is definitely getting louder; they're coming to my room.

I keep the door closed, not knowing what to expect. I get a chair and put it against the door, then flip on a light switch. The room remains as dark as previously. _They must have cut power, which means room electronics in general won't work._ "Tempest, use Flash."

"Right!" He responds, attentive the whole time. Within seconds, the room is lit up. I command Tempest to the bathroom, but to keep the door openly slightly, so that he can come out, but won't alert those in the hallway of light in my room.

They noises stop, and I can sense them outside the room. Not sure how close they are, I get down and look under the door. I see shoes as close to the door as my head is.

Then, a gunshot rings out. Even though I'm half expecting it, it's a very muted sound. _Silencer?_ I look up and see the doorknob gone from the door. I decided to take action.

_Alexis, tell them all to get ready to fight. I'm not sure how many people are here and what weapons they have._ I can't tell if she told the others or heard me, but I can't be unsure of anything now. I decided to take action.

The door looks weak and made of cheap wood, and already having a hole through it, I decide to attack them through the door, running at it and ramming the door down into the people outside the door. My body strengthened by my resolve, and angry desire to hurt others cause my strength to increase and I smash down the door easily.

The door lands on two people, injuring them. Already dazed, I uppercut one under the chin and kick the other hard in the head, knocking them out. As Tempest comes out, by command of Alexis, light turns the hallway from black to a look that reflects daytime hours. I also finally get a good look at my attackers.

Galactic members. Each one with some kind of pistol, all with silencers. _They probably didn't think they'd need any automatic weapons. They were wrong. _The guy nearest to me, wearing the white and black outfit with bright, teal hair, is surprised by my exiting the door, and scared out his pants. He weakly holds the gun to my chest, but trembling too much to even properly aim. I walk forward, about two paces, I bring my hands up, pointing my arms straight out from my shoulders, then bring them together in front of me, simultaneously ripping the gun from his hand and pushing the hand holding his gun away, leaving me with the gun now pointed at him. He turns and runs right away.

"Pathetic." Says a voice I recognize well. Cyrus comes out from behind a few members. "Raizu, you shouldn't be resisting us."

I spit at his feet, then aim the gun at him. "Yeah, I should be."

"It only get's worse, trust me." Another galactic member near him, on queue, aims his gun as Tempest's head. Not alarmed, Tempest tries to move, but the member fires a shot, and I see not a bullet, but a needle, hit Tempest's front leg. He tries to run, fails, whimpers, then falls over, clearly asleep.

"Don't cooperate, and we kill them all following our rendering them useless." He says.

"What do you want?"

"To kill you." He says.

"Isn't that… counterintuitive to what Deren gave me?"

"What has Deren done this time?" He calls out, rage showing instantly. "That boy has been nothing but trouble since he agreed to help me."

"Haha!" I laugh. "Then I am not telling you a blasted thing."

"On the contrary." He says. He makes a wave of his hand, and the gun in mine is tossed to the ground by some invisible force. He points his gun at me. "This fires bullets. If you don't come along and agree to aid myself and Deren in our attempt to summon Arceus, then you are useless to me."

I shake my head, unsure of what is to follow. I try to reach out to Alexis' mind, but I can't find it. Nor any other of my Pokémon. _All unconscious. If they hurt them…_

"Fine then, the final meeting shall be two versus two." He sighs, as if disappointed. I cringe, but then Tempest's flash gives way, and a loud crash is heard from down the hall, past Galactic. Then, a full second later, Cyrus screams in pain. My eyes not yet having adjusted to the lack of what was once abundant light, I cannot tell if what is hurting them is friend or common foe, so I back away down the hallway.

"Don't back away from me!" A female voice calls, and I recognize it instantly as well. "I'm the one who does the leaving!"

"Abby!" I call out, not sure how far away she is. "Get rid of these Galactic members."

"As we speak." I suddenly see a pillar of fire aimed down the hall, hit the ceiling, probably hitting several Galactic members as well. I then see another figure lean over Tempest, and start slapping him with his paw.

"Wake up, you are a cursed burden to this human asleep." He says.

"Jet?" I ask, a bit perplexed.

"Indeed, human." He says. Tempest wakes up, shaking his head, and instinctively using flash again. Light causes the hallway to become visible again, but something at the other end stops me from moving.

"You are all such a nuisance!" Calls Cyrus. Behind him is his Gardevoir. _That's how he knocked the gun out of my hand._ "It is apparently true; Serena said when I met you Raizu, that destiny would have us all, the Fatal Five, meet at the top of Mt. Coronet, and it seems that I cannot possibly threaten your life. So let's make this easy. I'll simply take you to base with me. In Veilstone City!" He points at us four in the hall, Me, Jet, Abby, and Tempest, and the Gardevoir's eyes light up. I feel a power take hold of my mind, and myself falling to the ground. _A hypnosis…_ are my last thoughts as I lose consciousness.

5


End file.
